ACATALEPSY ➺ loki

4 , supercomputers suck

No one said a word as we went down the lift, and the sudden silence was almost deafening. As much as I didn't wish to admit it, I was holding my breath for most of the trip down, only breathing normally once the thing had stopped moving and the doors had opened enough for us to get out. Maybe running straight into the creepy dark room that lay ahead wasn't the best idea, but I'd have taken almost anything over an old rickety lift in that moment—besides, I remembered enough to know they got out of the place alive. So how bad could it be, really?

I stayed behind Natasha and Steve as they approached the other side of the room, the lights on the roof lighting up as we walked in perfect synchronisation, sending chills down my spine. The supercomputer was soon brightly lit, and I stood back, watching Steve and Nat walk up to it in interest. "This... this can't be the data point—the technology here is ancient." Natasha started, but I cleared my throat, gesturing towards the plug thing on the table. Frowning, she walked over to it and clicked the drive in. Immediately, the whole room came alive—sudden sounds of things spinning into action and thousands of lights got the three of us looking wildly around the place.

I gasped as a sudden robotic voice called out 'Initiate system?' before reminding myself that I was the one who was meant to be calm right now and not be freaking out. Natasha walked over to the dusty keyboard lying on the table bending over it to type. "Y-E-S spells yes. Shall we play a game?" I almost laughed at the smirk on her face, but just shook my head, walking to her side to try see what was going on. She turned to Steve with an almost excited look on her face, "It's from a movie that was really-"

"I know, I saw it." Cap replied shortly, and I had to stop myself from calling him a spoilsport and dampening Natasha's mood. After all, seeing the Black Widow truly willing to show her genuine happiness at something was rare. But I kept quiet, moving to stand a bit behind Natasha and Steve, but in the middle of where they were positioned so I could get a better look at the computer screen which was now flashing green.

"Rogers, Steven," it started again in its creepy voice, "born 1918." It then turned to Natasha. "Romanoff, Natalia Alianovna, born 1984." I cringed in preparation for the camera to turn to me, which it did not seconds later. "Devoe, Elaina Evonne, born 2000." Both Steve and Natasha turned to me at this, and I looked back smugly.

"That should confirm it for you guys—do I look fourteen?" I asked, turning my eyes back to the supercomputer.

"It's some kind of recording..." Natasha said, moving even closer to the screen.

"I am not a recording, Fräulein," the computer started as if she had hurt its feelings, "I may not be the man I was when the Captain took me prisoner in 1945, but I am... a man."

"You know this thing?" Natasha asked, looking at Steve in surprise, who was staring at the face that had popped up on one of the screens as if in shock. "Arnim Zola was a German scientist who worked for the Red Skull..." he started, walking around the computer to the other side. "He's been dead for years."

"First correction, I am Swiss, Rogers. Second... look around you—I have never been more alive. In 1972, I received a terminal diagnosis. Science could not save my body—my mind, however, was worth saving. If Miss Devoe here had been around back in those times and graced us with knowledge on her abilities, I would have figured out how to preserve my body as well I'm sure. But alas, here we are—my mind... stored over two hundred thousand feet of databanks. You are standing in my brain." I took a few involuntary steps back at his words, scrunching my nose is slight disgust at the way he had phrased that.

"How did you get here?" Steve asked, having circled back around the computer to stop on Natasha's other side.

"Invited." Zola replied unhelpfully.