Chapter 2
Sigrid had never even left the small town near her home, let alone the entire country. However, she was excited nonetheless. She sold her farm and most of her possessions to obtain a plane ticket (whatever that was) to America and have just enough money to live off of once she was there. She was just about ready to leave. All that was left was saying goodbye.
She walked slowly over to the graves of her family, still remaining on the farm after centuries. She gently touched the stone that marked her mother’s grave, her eyes welling with tears. She looked from her mother’s, to her father’s, then finally to her beloved sister’s.
“I’m sorry, my dear family, but you must know that I have to do this… I can’t keep living alone for the rest of however long I might live. I must move on. I will hide my abilities and my aging as well as I possibly can, but I must begin to live… I know it’s what you would have wanted for me…” she sadly graced her fingers across the three stones that stuck out of the ground. She took a breath and backed away slowly, the tears blurring her vision. “W-well… I suppose this is goodbye…”
She turned around and walked a few steps before stopping. She looked out on the world before her, blurry with tears. In an instant, she let everything out. She ran back to her mother’s grave and clung to it, sobbing as she hugged the cold stone. For a few minutes that’s all she did, letting all of her emotion out. She could feel the energy surging around her, and reigned her emotions in after a minute. She sniffled and wiped her eyes.
“Mother, am I ready for this?” She whispered uncertainly. Never had she done something like this before, what if she was making the wrong decision? Immediately a sense of calm, warmth, and comfort washed over her. It was almost as if she could hear her mother saying, Go. Live the life you deserve. We will always be with you.
Sigrid smiled softly and placed a gentle kiss on each grave. She turned and walked on, leaving to find a new future.
~
From the moment Sigrid left the small town near her home, she was in awe of everything around her. All she ever knew was her farm and the small town that, in all honesty, didn’t have much going for it. She had never seen such a contraption like a plane, and was amazed and terrified to be up in the air above the world. As she and the doctor soared over the Atlantic, she couldn’t help but look out the window as often as she could. Even the clouds were awe inspiring.
The moment the wheels of the plane hit the ground, the doctor turned to her and smiled.
“Welcome, Sigrid, to New York.” She grinned widely and turned once again to the window. It was beautiful. Once on the road, she carefully took in the sights around her, committing everything to memory. Tall buildings surrounded her in all directions and there were people bustling all over the place. She had never seen so many people in her life. It was one of the most amazing things she had ever witnessed.
Sigrid and Doctor McLoughlin acclimated to their new life quickly. However, very soon after they arrived, the Second World War broke out. The doctor found work with the US military, providing his services and making sure soldiers were healthy before being sent off to fight. Sigrid would wait at home and used the skills she learned from her sister to take care of her and her dear friend.
Over time, she began to learn how to blend in with those around her. The doctor had taught her to speak English, as he was already fluent, and after five years of living in New York, they had gained American citizenship. She began to dress and speak like the Americans around her, hoping to blend in and attract as little attention to her as possible. She still was unsure about her powers and how to properly use them, and couldn’t risk anyone finding out about them. If someone on the wrong side got knowledge of what she could do, who knew what would happen to her.
She was fitting in more and more each day, and as the years passed she grew more comfortable with the new life she had taken on. She allowed herself much more freedom than she gave herself back home. She walked outside every day and let herself speak with others more. She and the doctor were finally living the lives they had hoped for. That is, until the fall of 1944.
Sigrid was walking with the doctor when they passed a young man who looked at her in a way she had never been looked at before. There was something in his eyes that sent a chill up her spine. As they passed him on the sidewalk, he turned and hollered at her,
“Hey dollface, where ya going with a guy like that? I can take ya where ya need to be…”
Sigrid scrunched her eyebrows and kept walking, the doctor turning to look at the man in disgust. Before he could say anything, she placed a hand on his arm.
“Don’t you worry about him, Doctor.” Sigrid said gently.
“He’s being disrespectful. He should learn to keep his mouth shut,” McLoughlin said quietly. “Men like him only want one thing, then they throw you to the side like garbage. He’s disgusting, and should be taught a thing or two.”
“Don’t worry, Doctor. He isn’t worth our time anyhow,” Sigrid said softly, urging the doctor forward. Her words, however, rang in the man’s ear. He hurried next to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her from McLoughlin and turning her to him. She looked at him in shock and fear, a small squeak escaping her mouth, when he said,
“Oh, I can show ya, I am certainly worth your time, doll…” his eyes burning into her. She tried to rip her arm from his grasp, when the doctor tore the man’s arm away for her. He dragged her away, but not before spitting out,
“That is no way to treat a lady. You are beneath her, and could never deserve a woman such as her.”
The pair began to turn away, but the man spun McLoughlin around and sent a punch flying into the doctor’s face, sending him to the ground. Sigrid yelped and bend down to help her friend.
“You don’t get to speak like that to me, old man,” the man hissed. Sigrid watched as blood began to drip from McLoughlin’s nose and mouth, his face bruised. Immediately, her fear for the doctor turned to anger. Her hands began to heat up, glowing a bright white.
“SIGRID, NO!”
It was too late. A blast of energy flew from her hand, sending the disgusting man flying down the sidewalk. He stared in horror at Sigrid for a moment before he got up and ran away, as well as he could, shouting. When she calmed down, she looked around her. The few other people that had been on the street were staring at her in horror. She panicked and grabbed the doctor, hurrying him along down the sidewalk towards their home.
One man, hidden in the shadows, wasn’t afraid. His eyes narrowed with intrigue as he watched the pair hurry down the street. He may have found something to help his cause. He smirked and followed the pair from a distance. Once he reached their home, he left to make a call. This could be big.
-
Sigrid led the doctor to the couch, laying him down. He immediately grabbed her arm.
“Sigrid, what on earth were you thinking? You just exposed yourself!” He practically yelled, his voice nasal from the break. She calmly released his grasp and sat next to him.
“I know. I didn’t mean to, but when he knocked you to the ground, I just… lost it.” She said, a sad look on her face. He could tell she was disappointed in herself. He let out a soft sigh.
“Sigrid,” he said, calmly, “I will be fine. You must look out for yourself. I won’t be around for much longer, but you will be. Who knows how long you will be on this earth? You’ve lived for centuries now, and it could prove to be much longer. You must take precautions to protect yourself. We see everyday in the war the lengths people will go to for knowledge and power. If you got into the wrong hands, who knows what they would do to you.”
“I know, I know…” Sigrid sighed. “I’ll try to be more careful. But for now, let’s get you mended up. I’ll go get the supplies for your nose.”
“Thank you, Sigrid. You know I just want the best for you.” She smiled softly.
“I know.” She walked out of the room to grab some alcohol and cotton balls to clean his wound. She wondered if there was anything she could bring him to ease the pain while he reset his nose. He’d have to do that himself, as she wasn’t informed on how to do such a thing. She only knew basic healing from what little she was shown by her sister and the doctor.
While she was in the back, she heard McLoughlin say something, followed by a strange sound, almost like a quick puff of air escaping something. She heard creaking immediately after. The hair on her neck stood on end. Something was wrong. She called out for her friend, but got no reply. Her hands began to shake gently, sparks of energy beginning to crackle at her fingertips. Slowly she made her way back to the front room, calling out for him again. The front door was cracked open, the fall air seeping in. Sigrid could feel the panic bubbling inside her.
“This isn’t funny, are you alright?” She turned to see her friend on the couch, and her blood ran cold. She backed away and was about to scream when a hand covered her mouth and she felt something pierce into her neck. She began to lose consciousness, the last thing she saw being the lifeless body of her only friend, with a single bullet hole through the head.
-
Sigrid woke up a short time later. She was bound at the wrists and sat in a metal chair in front of a large metal table. She looked around the room she was in. It’s was almost completely empty, and had a single dull light illuminating it. There was one door and no windows.
It was eerie. Sigrid could feel so many emotions running rampant through her mind. She was angry, scared, and grief-stricken. She could feel herself growing more and more panicked, which triggered her abilities. The energy grew and grew until it was surging through her, ready to burst out at any moment. Her body was radiating that all too familiar white glow, when the door opened and a man walked in. He smiled.
“Oh no, it might be best for you to relax. We wouldn’t want a mess in here.” He stated calmly. His words did nothing for her panicked state. Eventually she mustered the courage to ask,
“Who are you?” The man just grinned wider and took a seat on the opposite side of the table from her.
“I could ask you the same thing, my dear.” Sigrid narrowed her eyes at the man. He was on the shorter side, wore glasses, and spoke with a German accent. “What is your name?” She hesitated a moment before answering.
“…Sigrid.”
“Just Sigrid?” She nodded as best she could. Even after all these years, she never did find out her family name. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet you Sigrid.”
“I can’t say the same for you.” She spat out, her voice cracking as she took short, staggered breaths. He never lost his smile.
“And where are you from, Sigrid?”
“Norway.”
“Norway?” He seemed puzzled. “You sound rather American for someone claiming to be from Norway.”
Sigrid stayed quiet. Keeping as much information from this man was probably her best course of action.
“My assumption is that you wanted to stay hidden. Keep a low profile. Now why in the world would you want to take attention away from yourself?” The man asked, almost sarcastically. Sigrid sat back in her chair, unamused.
“I suspect you already know.”
He chuckled softly.
“Yes, I suppose that was a question I already knew the answer to. Rhetorical questions aren’t something you’ve grown to understand yet, hm?”
Sigrid was done providing answers to this man. Now it was time for her to ask the questions.
“Who are you? Where am I?” She asked firmly. She was careful not to let her emotions get the better of her, having managed to calm herself down a bit. She didn’t want her powers to explode while she was tied up.
“Ah, right. My name is Arnim Zola. I work for a group of individuals called HYDRA. You see, humanity can’t be trusted with its own freedom. We are working to take control and offer peace and security to the masses.”
“Through murder,” Sigrid replied coldly. She remembered what they had done to the doctor, her only friend. “You are only taking away the agency of the people. You murder innocents in the name of justice. You’re disgusting.” She spat in his face after her words. Zola’s eyes snapped shut, his hand calmly wiping his face. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes and speaking again.
“My dear, the price for freedom is high, and some casualties are expected.”
Sigrid was getting angrier at every word that escaped his mouth. Her friend died pointlessly, and here he was trying to justify it?
“What do you want with me? Why didn’t you kill me too?” She pressed, her eyes beginning to develop tears. Zola either didn’t notice or didn’t care.
“Your friend was in the way, and we needed you. You see, we know about your abilities, Miss Sigrid. We are also aware of your age, from what we overheard. Tell me, how long have you been on this earth, Miss Sigrid?” Her eyes widened before falling to her lap. She didn’t answer, which was alright as Zola already knew the answer. “You see, Miss Sigrid, we believe that you hold the key to our success. With your powers, we would be unstoppable. We will perform research on you and your abilities, as well as train you to fight for a noble cause.” Sigrid’s eyes slowly came back up to the man in front of her.
“And if I say no?” She whispered hoarsely.
He chuckled.
“My dear, I wasn’t asking.”
Sigrid snapped, her eyes growing wide with fear. Her body began to glow, her hands radiating a powerful white light. She ripped her hands from the binds. Zola simply sighed. “I really didn’t want it to come to this, you know.” Just before Sigrid could stand and send a blast of energy his way, she felt electricity flowing through her veins. She shook for a bit before slumping unconscious in her seat. Zola called some guards in to take her away. “Be gentle with her. She will be necessary for the success of HYDRA. She will be HYDRA’s angel.”