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Day 204

Puente Antiguo, New Mexico

Jane frantically wiped the burning tears from her cheeks with a shaking hand. She blinked several times to clear her vision, but the fuzziness remained at the edges. The transmission suddenly screeched. Jane jumped, her heart painfully accelerating even faster than it already was. Only after a second attempt to shift to third gear did she realize that her left foot wasn't even on the clutch. A dull hiss filled her ears.

Focus, Foster! Keep it together. Sunlight bounced off the freshly fallen snow and cut through the windshield, even though it was the weaker winter version of the New Mexico sun. Squinting against the light, Jane searched for the outcropping she used as her landmark. The bulky van lumbered over frozen waves in the sand. A particularly sharp bump snapped her teeth together, catching her tender cheek between them. Jane cried out at the pain. She tasted copper at the back of her throat. Her vision narrowed even more and dizziness thumped at her skull.

Please let me find it...please be there. Sucking in each breath was painful against the vise grip of panic. Jane dragged her hand across her sweaty forehead then regretted it when her wet hand slipped on the gear shift. The steering wheel wrenched out of her slack grasp as the utility vehicle's tires fought with the washboard path.

There! Even after nearly seven months, a few ridges and whorls remained on the desert floor where the sand had been melted to glass by the blast. Skiffs of snow swirled and gathered in the indentations, highlighting the site. Jane blinked back sudden tears of gratitude at this unexpected help. She brought the hulking vehicle to a halt a few yards away.

Breathe, Jane. Steady. In, two, three, four, out, two, three, four. But her head still pounded and her heart still raced out of control. She pulled the handle of the door and pushed it open with her shoulder. Her legs buckled, and she had to wait a few seconds before she could stand and close the car door. The sharp chunk of the metal door closing resounded in the empty desert.

Jane hesitated for a beat. What was she doing? This was crazy. Hysterical giggles erupted from her chest. This was crazy? No. This was a sane response to the absolute insanity that had blown up her life. One foot slid forward, then the other. Jane steadied herself with a hand on the car's hood.

Breathe, two, three, four… She shivered and pulled her barn jacket closer around her. In her haste she had forgotten her hat and gloves. A breeze stirred, raising goosebumps along her neck and arms.

Her toe nudged one of the glassy ridges along the perimeter. She took a couple of steps inside for good measure, and threw her head back, searching the afternoon sky, but there was no sign waiting for her.

"H...Heim….dall?" Her voice came out thin, reedy, powerless. Humiliation washed over her. What an idiot. Jane cleared her throat.

"Heimdall?" Stronger this time, clearer. She took a deep breath and pushed the dizziness away. "I hope that you can hear me."

A wave of terror suddenly crashed over Jane, squeezing her stomach and buckling her legs. She dropped to her knees on the frozen desert floor. Her stomach lurched and Jane swallowed hard to maintain her composure. Please don't let me throw up now. Not here.

The melting snow soaked through her jeans and numbed her knees. Jane welcomed the distraction. She scooped up a small handful of snow and pressed it to her face. Cold rivulets trickled down her arms, wetting her sleeves. Breath, two, three, four. Focus.

Jane stayed on her knees, though the cold burned and ached. She tipped her head back again.

"Heimdall, I beg you, please don't tell...I'm not sure what you've seen these last few days, but please, please, please don't tell. I'm not a danger to…to Asgard, to Earth, to anyone! I didn't know—I didn't want—I'll figure this out, I'll handle it. Please help me...please...don't tell…"

Another wave of crushing panic swept from her toes to her head, overwhelming her this time. Her stomach heaved and emptied itself, tears flowed freely, snot ran down her chin. The convulsions twisted her so strongly that she could not stay upright. Her vision dimmed, the buzzing in her ears grew louder.

"Ahhh! I can't—stop—help me, please!"

A/N: A million thanks to dristi5683 for reading, advising, and encouraging. You're a sweetheart!