MEM·O·RY
/ˈmem(ə)rē/ noun
¹ the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information.
Haven had spent her entire life watching. She's seen all, heard all, and knows all. When she hears of an evil power rising in the galaxy, it's up to her to f...
Haven saw a room of red and white. Hulk laid on the floor while Thor stood off to the side. A girl Haven recognized stepped over Hulk, walking past Thor.
"You're so thick-headed that you can't tell when someone's hiding all the way across the universe and wants to be left alone," Valkyrie said, scoffing.
Thor stepped up. "We need to talk."
"No, you wanna talk to me."
Thor turned to Hulk as Valkyrie walked to the door. "I need her to stay."
Hulk nodded, grabbing a large bone and throwing it at the doorway. "Stay." He growled. "Please."
"Please," Thor repeated, looking to the woman with what could only be puppy-dog-eyes.
Valkyrie turned, smirking. "All right." She said, walking over and grabbing a bottle of liquor. "Here's the deal. I'll listen to you 'till this is empty."
As she tipped it back and started drinking, Thor started talking. "Asgard is in danger and people are dying. We need to get back there. I need your help. Wow..." And just like that, the bottle was empty. She smashed it on the ground. "Finished. Bye."
"Odin is dead."
That seemed to stop her in her tracks.
"Hela, the Goddess of Death, has invaded Asgard."
Valkyrie stood still, only glancing over her shoulder. "If Hela's back, then Asgard's already lost."
"I'm going to stop her."
Haven's eyes opened and she immediately felt it.
The lack. The pit. The ache. The pain.
The absence of ability.
It gnawed at her, threatening to rip her apart from the inside out. She felt it in her bones, in her veins, in her heart. It forced a pounding in her head so strong she swore it would rupture entirely.
She sat on the edge of her cot, muscles shivering in the cold.
She wondered if the frigid temperature was all in her head.
Haven reached up, feeling the large strap on her neck. It went all the way around, wires circulating within. She wasn't sure how, but this was the thief. This small neck brace was how they tore her ability away.
However, even without her way to manipulate the air, she could still see everything.
A familiar voice rang out from the hallway. Curiosity taking over, Haven stood. Her bare feet carried her across the cemented floor to the metal bars on the other side of her cell.
"Tony, " she said.
She hadn't noticed until now how hoarse and deprived her voice sounded.
He looked over, breaking the aggressive conversation he was having with Clint. Tony's eyes widened at the sound and sight of her. "My god, " he said, walking toward her.
Haven looked down, seeing the bruising on her hands. If it was that bad there, how was it everywhere else?
Tony took a breath. "What do you need? Did they feed you yet?"
She nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'm fine."
He glanced down at his watch, clicking a few buttons before looking back up at her. "All right, Haven. I've just knocked the A out of their AV. We got about a minute before they realize it's not their equipment. I need to know where Steve went."
Haven nodded. "You've seen?"
"The guy that was supposed to interview Barnes dead in a bathtub? Yes, I've seen."
"You go alone, and as a friend. I'll know if anything goes down otherwise." She said, her tattered voice as stern as possible. Tony nodded, complying. "He and Bucky are headed to Siberia. Where Bucky was kept. Do you know where that is?"
"Yeah, they gave us a list of the known HYDRA bases during the war. Apparently, it's open for business again." Tony sighed, stepping away from the wall. "Thank you, Haven. For more than you know."
With a blink, he was gone.
Haven glanced around her cell, taking a deep breath before lying back down on the cot. She wasn't sure how long she'd be here, so she may as well sleep through it.
"Who is this guy?" Valkyrie asked, Thor and Bruce walking behind her.
"Who? Me?" Banner said, stuttering on his words. "I'm Bruce."
"I feel like I know you." She said, walking down a green hallway.
Bruce's eyes lit up. "I feel like I know you, too."
The triplet walked for several minutes before Valkyrie turned around, her face stern. "Look, I've spent years in a haze, trying to forget my past. Sakaar seemed like the best place to drink and forget, and to die one day."
"I was thinking that you drink too much and that it was probably going to kill you," Thor said.
She gave a blank expression. "I don't plan to stop drinking."
"Oh."
"But I don't wanna forget. I can't turn away anymore so if I'm gonna die, it may as well be driving my sword through the heart of that murderous hag."
When Haven woke this time, she was greeted by blazing alarms and darkness.
It took her several seconds to finally see the man at her open doorway.
His blonde hair fell in his face as he gave her a soft smile. "I've missed you."
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