Clint breathed heavily as he slid behind the mailbox, pressing his back against it and peering out to get a better view. HYDRA thugs were everywhere and giving the team a run for their money, but all of the Neo-Nazis combined were nothing compared to the woman leading them.
Head to toe in black and silver, the woman walked through the battle with an eerily calm demeanor, stepping over fallen bodies and debris gracefully. She carried no weapons, her strong shoulders apparent with her tank top even without the weight of a gun. She was the weapon herself. Leading the HYDRA team into the city, she had planted her feet decisively before sticking both arms out in front of her with her index and middle fingers extended. With an effortless fluidity, the woman traced lines through the air – lines that generated blinding, sparking beams of atmospheric electricity. She spread her palms wide and unleashed a flood of utter destruction upon the helpless civilians. She was dodging everyone's attacks with extreme agility, as if she was born doing this. In her intense focus forward, however, Clint saw an opening.
"Maximoffs, I'm going to try to slow her down with a combustible shot. Pietro, you grab her and Wanda, well, do your thing" he called out into his headpiece, steadying his arrow against his bowstring. "3, 2, 1." The arrow sailed right at the combat boot-clad foot of the woman, exploding on contact and throwing her backwards. She paused for a second as she hit the ground before springing herself up to her feet, carelessly throwing aside her previously adorned dark eye goggles that were now cracked.
Right on schedule, the twins swooped in, but they both stopped short. Clint ran out toward them. "Let's go, kids," he roared out in confusion and frustration. "What are you waiting for?" The siblings didn't answer, simply staring whitefaces and openmouthed at their target. Clint turned his gaze toward her face and prepare to strike, but was absolutely not prepared for the sight he was about to see.
It wasn't just a face. It was a very familiar face. The face of his younger sister, Y/N, who had been captured by HYDRA a year ago and had been unable to be located – no matter how hard the team tried. They had wanted this asset badly and weren't about to relinquish it.
Before HYDRA took you, you had worked with your brother and the Avengers as a research and development specialist, designing new weapons for Clint, Natasha and Sam and working with Bruce and Tony to come up with new protective measures for cities under attack – or cities in the middle of an Avengers vs bad guys showdown. You were a damn good field agent as well, but would only go out with the team if it was absolutely necessary. You had grown especially close with the twins – Pietro ended up with a massive crush on you but was too nervous to do anything in case it ruined your friendship, and you and Wanda were like sisters. Your capture had hit both of them almost as hard as it hit your big brother. Clint had never forgiven himself after you got captured; you had spent about 20 minutes arguing with him that you didn't need to be there. But there you were now, standing in front of all of them like some kind of perverted ghost. It may have been your body, but who was really inside it?
Clint's heart raced as he hardly dared to believe it was you. Was it really his sassy, sweet little sister staring at him with cold, blank eyes? What had HYDRA done to you? "Y/N?" he asked, his voice catching with emotion. You tilted your head to the side, your brow furrowing as you looked at the three figures in front of you. Your brain seemed to jolt slightly at the sound of the name and at the sight of these people, but you shook it off quickly. "Must have just been reeling from the close explosion," you told yourself.
You stared at him, confused to see tears appearing in all three of their eyes. "Who the hell is Y/N?" you asked, pausing a second to look at the pain on their faces before sending a blast of electricity that sent them all flying 40 ft backward.
You kept walking determindely forward, your mission clear: extract the 5 HYDRA agents kept under guard in the high security prison.
You turned just in time to bend backwards, dodging the flash of red energy the dark-haired twin had sent your way. "Y/N!" she cried out pitifully. "It is us! Your friends." You scoffed. "I don't know any of you." You sent another bolt her way, narrowly avoiding being hit as her brother raced her out of the way. He was behind you all of a sudden, pinning your arms behind you. You snarled and lit up your hands, sending him staggering back at the touch. He dropped down, his blue eyes bright and also wet. "Y/N," he said softly, holding out his hands. "I'm not fighting you. We're friends." You looked at him in exasperation, raising your hand as a bright ball of electricity filled your palm. What kind of weird strategy were these Avengers trying to use on you?
You lost balance as something solid crashed into your side, the beam of power shooting awry and into a nearby skyscraper. You looked up at the man who tackled you and struggled under his strong grip, your body glowing bright with electricity. You shocked him once and while he cried out, he did not relinquish his grip on you. You froze for a second. "I'm not losing you again, little sis," he gasped out as you zapped him again. His face contorted with pain but he held on to your wrists. You stopped this time on purpose, utterly bewildered."WHAT GAME IS THIS?!" you roared out. "Get off me or I will kill you." "You always did love trying to kick my ass when we were little. Mom hated it, said you needed to be a lady," he leaned back off of you and you stood up immediately. "Y/N, HYDRA brainwashed you. That's why you don't know us. You were captured a year ago. They did something that made you all – all sparky –" he breathed out heavily. "It's your brother, it's Clint. It's me, shorty."
At the nickname, you winced as a memory came flooding back powerfully to the front of your mind. You standing on your tiptoes in the Avengers kitchen, tongue in your teeth as you struggled to reach the box of cookies on the top shelf while Pietro laughed at you. "Shut up," you said, flipping him off, even though you laughed. Clint walked in. "What a surprise, shorty can't get her snack," he said, smirking. "When we were little, she'd have to drag a chair in to help but it was so much bigger than her that it made all kinds of noise – always got caught." "Fuck off, Clint," you said irritably.
Clint caught you as you fell forward, overwhelmed with the sheer realness of the scene that just played out in your head. Was it some kind of trick? "No … this is her," you yelled, pointing a finger at her. The woman held up her hands, smiling at you. "You had a memory, did you not? That is not my power, I do not conjure up memories. Only fears."
"I'll prove it," Pietro said, reaching in his pocket. Your hand flashed bright as you moved to strike what you thought was a weapon, but it turned out to be an iPhone. He hit the screen a few times before turning it toward you. Your heart seemed to stop in your chest. There you were with Pietro, laughing as he gave you a piggyback ride at Central Park. A picture from your birthday of you kissing his cheek, his face lit up in a smile. A bunch of drunk selfies you had taken with Tony. A picture of you and Clint holding your hands up in victory while Pietro pouted with a soccer ball next to Thor. A candid of you and Wanda dancing messily at some bar. It was real, it was undeniably you.
Your breathing became shallow as you looked down at your hands then at the people around you. "How, how, what did they do to me?" you whispered in horror. "They took this all from me," you said quietly, tears filling your brown eyes.
In a second, Clint had pulled you into a hug as you sobbed into his shoulder. "Then let's take it back, shorty. HYDRA is gonna pay, don't worry. And Steve helped Bucky get a lot of his memories back, we're gonna do the same for you." Steve? Bucky? The vaguely familiar names floated hazily in your head, you placed your hands over your eyes as you cried out in frustration.
"There's so much I don't remember. I want to remember," you cried out miserably.
"You're safe now, Y/N. You're with us, that's all that matters." Pietro said as he rubbed his hand on your back. "It will come with time," Wanda added. Clint placed his hands on your shoulders. "It's gonna be OK. I promise you." He inhaled sharply and his voice shook. "I'm not letting anyone hurt my little sister ever again."
"I know," you said slowly. "But someone else is going to hurt. All of HYDRA is going to hurt. Motherfuckers created this, well," you said ferociously, lighting your hands up with crackling energy "they're going to have to deal with this."
Pietro smiled and pulled you into a side hug. "There she is."
Clint pressed into his mic piece suddenly. "Everyone, meet on 5th and West 48th." He beamed at you, tousling your hair gently. "Y/N's back."