Guardian

Chapter 24

1915.

The government wanted to find a way to capture her powers and weaponize then, yet they lacked the scientific ability to do so. Instead, they collected blood, hair samples, anything that might help them and preserved them, hoping that they would allow answers once the technology advanced enough for them to do so.

Tensions finally broke, the powder keg exploded, and the Great War broke out. It took those holding her months to realize that they were holding the greatest weapon yet seen on the battlefield locked up in a cell. So they turned from experiments and attempts to recreate her power to trying brainwash her into becoming their soldier.

Eva resisted for months, afraid to serve either side in the war that had broken out. But it soon dawned on her that her best chance of escape was to make them think that they had turned her but then run as far away from the war as she was able to the first chance that she got.

She went into battle in shining silver armor, a beacon of hope for the Axis Powers and a beacon of destruction for the Allies. But she harmed neither side, waiting until chaos took over the battlefield, as it inevitably did, then disappeared into the forest and flew as far from the battle a she could before passing out from exhaustion in the Midwest of the United States.

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(Olivia's POV):
An old man stood before me, his hair flowing in long locks down his back with a beard just as lengthy. He looked the part of Dumbledore but wearing an armor of gold akin to Thor's. I knew not who he was or where he came from, but I sensed he was not one I could trust. The last thing I needed was a letter informing me that I had been accepted into Hogwarts when I had been doing all in my power to hide the truth of who I was.

"What do you want from me?" My voice sounded distant and laced with fear. I cringed, wishing that I had been able to keep up a facade of strength, despite my anxiety.

The old man stepped forward and spoke, "I am Heimdall, gatekeeper of Asgard."

"Thor told me that you would only watch me from afar, not interrupt my life."

"Did you really think I would stay away? You have been hiding something, Liv, did you really think that I would not discover it?" As he spoke, he advanced on me and I backed away until I hit solid wall.

Panic began to seep in as I began to plead, "listen, Heimdall, if I am discovered, you have no idea what they will do to me. Please, can you not understand that I just want to live a normal life, to live in peace?"

"You are not normal, Liv, and you will never be normal. Inside your veins flows blood that has been tainted, creating unnatural abilities. Those abilities must be understood or else it is a threat. You are a threat."

I shook my head frantically as I tried to argue, but no words came out. Instead pain flooded my body and everything went black. When I came to, I was no longer in my apartment, but instead hooked up to a number of machines with my extremities bound to a hard metal table. The room was illuminated by blinding lights, yet it still felt dark. The sounds of people bustling around me, of metal clanging on metal, of persistent beeping from machines, overwhelmed my senses. I tried to call out for help, but the noise only left my throat as a whimper.

My entire body felt like lead and I could feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness. My eyelids were heavy and it was all I could do to keep them open. The only part of my body that did not feel slow was the rapidity of my heartbeat, seeming to be trying to escape my chest.

"And she is finally awake," a voice hummed, the face of a hardened middle-aged white man came into view. "We were afraid that we had drained you of too much blood. But now that we have the samples, I believe we can proceed with the experiments."

My words of protests turned into screams of pain as I felt a needle get jabbed into my skin and flames lapped up my body, paralyzing me. My voice cut out, leaving me with nothing but silent cries and a few tears escaping the corner of my eyes to roll down my face and disappear into the locks of my golden hair.

When the pain became almost unbearable, consciousness returned to me and my eyes shot open, my breaths coming in pants. Aufidius and Caius were staring at me, most likely woken by my nightmare and I gave them both pets in an attempt to reassure them that I was ok. But that was the last thing that I felt.

I knew it was pointless to try to fall asleep, knowing that closing my eyes would only invite the pain back in, so I stumbled out of bed, trying to support myself on my shaking legs. Using the wall as support, I made my way over to the light switch and illuminated the room with a soft glow which would allow me to see what I was doing as I started my day. I sat down at the vanity and began to brush my hair, trying to forget the horror that I had just experienced. But it took all of my strength not to look down at my arm and check for a puncture mark, where the needle had pierced my skin.

My face was sickly pale reflected in the mirror and the bags under my eyes were getting more pronounced by the day. It took most of my efforts to cover them with makeup, to give the illusion that I was ok. But the tears causing redness in my eyes betrayed my attempts to hide my feelings behind makeup and a sunny facade.

I ran out of concealer as I desperately tried to cover up, cursing my luck and digging through the vanity drawers to find another tube. The contents of each drawer were deposited on the counter space as I ravaged through then, but to no avail. Instead, I tried to make do with what little I had left and with my foundation. But as I turned back to the makeup I had out, I noticed the slip of paper that sat on top of the pile of random objects from the drawers.

All that was written on it was an address, the handwriting neat and fluid despite the chaos of the moment. It was the address of the one person who could reassure me at this moment. Who could tell me more about Heimdall and help me determine if he was truly someone to fear. Someone who I could confess everything to and beg for the name of a world that would accept me. Someone who I wanted to avoid and hate because of the mess he had gotten me into.

It was wrong to go to him for help after all he had done, but I had no other choice. The news of a man who could watch me at any moment in time only added to my growing list of fears and the subjects of my nightmares. I couldn't go on like this anymore, I needed to be able to sleep, and perhaps the assurance that my secret would be safe from this overbearing Asgardian would be enough to grant me even just a few hours more.

I didn't pay any mind to the clothes that I threw on, which I regretted as I stepped out into the howling night wind that chilled me to the bone. The streets were bare, only a few pedestrians stumbling home from bars passing me on the sidewalks. Still, there was plenty of light emitted from buildings that lined the streets to give me a sense of security, despite not knowing what lurked in the shadows.

There was only one thought in my mind: get to the apartment and get answers. I didn't care what I needed to do, what Loki's price for information was. I just needed someone to assure me that my secret would remain safe, that I would not be thrown back into a prison, not be experimented on, pricked and prodded as though I were some doll and not a living human being who could feel every stab, even now when they were but memories.

My knuckles rapped on the door and immediately I realized that there was a chance that Loki no longer occupied this apartment. He had no ties to Earth, in fact he had many reasons to leave this place behind. He was well enough again to find shelter elsewhere, I was sure even his broken finger, the only lingering injury he had when I had seen him last, had long since healed. The thought of leaving so I would not have to face whatever stranger now occupied his apartment crossed through my mind, yet I stood my ground, praying that Loki had decided to stick around.

I should have felt relief when the door swung open and I was met with the familiar blond hair and blue eyes of Loki's disguise. But instead, I was afraid. It was all wrong, turning to him for help when I knew I would not be able to resist him. He would only drag me into more trouble, sealing my fate that my powers would be discovered.

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(A/N): I was going to post this last night, but then I fell asleep so here is my mid-Zoom meeting chapter, I hope you enjoy! And I hope you're excited to see what happens during this reunion!