Psych the Avengers Out

Dawn on Tuesday

Bradlich is walking down the hall with his hulking employer when suddenly the gargantuan hand falls down on his shoulder.

Bradlich turns to look at the broad man. There is a feral smile on his face, a cold sadistic gleam in his eyes as he looks Bradlich in the eyes. "They just tried to access her memories," he says, his tone almost gleeful. "It's finally time I made that trip to Asgard."

"Finally," he breathes.

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Jay is freezing. The cold penetrates all the way to her bones and it makes her ache and her teeth chatter so hard she thinks they will all shatter like brittle glass. She doesn't know where she is, only that there is snow and darkness and almost no one to be seen. She turns slowly, breath misting in front of her face like thick clouds as she shivers. There is a shadow in the falling snow as it gathers in her hair like tiny crystal ornaments. She wants to call out to see if it is a person, if they can help her find shelter on this barren and frozen rock. But when she opens her mouth to call out, the shadow moves and is suddenly right in front of her.

She reels back in shock and the person catches her, hands fisted in her shirt. She claws at the strong hands that lift her upwards so that she is face to face with this giant. Almost casually, the giant releases her shirt and transfers both hands to her neck. She kicks but her legs meet empty air and her fingers are so numb that they are useless as she desperately tries to get rid of the fingers that are crushing her windpipe. She can feel her struggles losing effectiveness, knows that physically she is no match for this creature but she wants to live, in the helpless, "I don't want it to end like this" way. So she gathers what she has inside of her and pushes hard with her mind.

The force of her telekinetic shove sends them flying apart and she rolls, falling off the edge of a rock cliff, an abyss yawning wide below her. She barely catches the edge with her senseless fingers and holds on. A shadow appears above her, the giant back to no doubt finish her off. He leans down and looks deep into her eyes. "Good girl. Always keep fighting," Loki says and then stomps on her fingers.

Jay wakes up drenched with nightmare sweat and bolts upright. Her breathes come fast and short like she just ran a sprint and her head swims with dizziness. "Whoa, there my dear," someone says and Jay turns to see Tony sitting next to her bed. A quick survey of the room tells her she's in a healing room, it's just her and Tony and that the sun is sinking in the sky so she's been out for at least a day. She makes to get up, adrenaline coursing through her system, but Tony is up and grabbing her arm before she can get very far.

"Easy there, killer," he says, real concern in his voice. "Sit back down before you pull stitches out or something majorly drastic." Jay sways on her feet and falls back to the bed, more from the pain in her head than from actually wanting to obey Tony. The dream is still with her and it makes no sense and her mind is buzzing with activity. She knows there was something very important hidden in those visions, knows that someone was trying to teach her something. She rubs the heel of her hand into her eyes, willing her brain to bring the message into focus.

"You okay, kiddo?" Tony asks, clearly disturbed by her actions. Tiredly she nods her head.

"Just dizzy and out of it, I suppose," she says evasively but Tony seems to believe that. He eases her back down onto the bed with a promise to be back soon after grabbing Thor and Steve. She nods but is secretly glad when the door closes behind him.

She lies back on the bed and stares at the ceiling, remembering the voice, those eyes that know more than they let on. She knows what she has to do, is just afraid of the consequences for both of them if she does. But Loki knows that whatever is hidden in her mind is worth protecting. She knows he probably will try to find some way to use it for his own gain but something deep inside of her is telling her that there is more than that. That somehow what happens next will have deep repercussions for the both of them. But the decision is purely her own.