Luce groaned, her head was pounding, it felt like there were a thousand jackhammers trying to bust their way out of her skull. She shifted, realizing she was lying on bed. That's new she thought. Luce blinked her eyes open, confused at the sudden whiteness of everything. Where were the moldy green walls of the cheap apartment Mom had rented? Gone was the putrid smell of air freshener and rot. Replaced instead by disinfectant and lemon. Luce furrowed her brow as it became clear where she was. The beeping of the machines next to her bed alerted her of her steady heartbeat. An IV wound itself from her hand up to a bag of saline on a rack. A least she hoped it was saline. She better not be dying

Dying. Suddenly she was in the passenger seat of a car. The car was driving erratically, racing through traffic. The woman in the driver's seat was looking behind her, she turned her head towards Luce, red hair flipping over her shoulder. "I think we lost them." Luce found herself nodding "Good, now can go get something to eat? I'm starving, all I've had since yesterday is half a bagel." Her mom looked at her, green eyes twinkling, "Always so flippant aren't you?" Luce grinned cheekily, "I've learned from the best."

"Oh good you're awake!" Luce jerked out of her daydream, or was it a memory? She hadn't noticed the nurse come in. "Uhh.." The nurse smiled at her in a kind way, "Now not to worry sweetie only a few bumps and bruises, possibly a concussion. You remember anything dear?" The nurse busied herself checking the monitors and then Luce's vitals. Luce frowned, trying to piece together what she was doing in this hospital and how she managed to get here. The Last she remembered was…

"Hey." Her mom said in the abrupt manner she had, "I'm going to step out for a minute. You stay here alright? Don't open the doors or anyone." Luce rolled her eyes "Gosh Mom I'm not two!" Her mom sighed almost wistfully, "I know you're not." Then slipped out, locking the door behind her. Luce laid back on the dingy bed, gazing at the ceiling of the decrepit place they were staying. Luce didn't know why her mom suddenly decided to come to New York. After all she had spent the last seventeen years of her life avidly avoiding it all costs. Luce wasn't going to complain though, she'd been dying to come the city. She wanted to go to all the museums and see the parks and all the sites. Touristy stuff. Stuff she hadn't really ever been able to do before. Of course, things never worked out the way they were planned, and now Luce was stuck sitting in this dirt-hole waiting for her mom to get back from wherever. As much as she wanted to be mad at her mother, Luce found that any anger would never last long. Her mom had sacrificed so much for her, and let's face it, she generally did know what was for the best. So Luce laid there, on the bed, waiting for her mother to return, contemplating what she'd do if she lived a normal life.

"Darling?" The nurse waved her hand in front of Luce's face, "Are you alright? You zoned out there for a minute." Luce looked into her eyes and saw nothing but warm concern, "uh.. yeah.. sorry. I'm fine. When can I leave?" The nurse chuckled, "not for a bit I'm afraid, and I haven't even gotten your name yet!" She laughed some more, shaking her head, "young ones always in a hurry." Luce bit her lip, contemplating. She had stopped listening to the nurse ramble on, she needed to leave the hospital, she needed to find out how she got here. Luce racked her brain trying desperately to remember anything, any sort of clue as to how she got in this mess. "Um, excuse me? Nurse?" Luce asked quietly. "Hmm? Yes dear?" The nurse had been fruitlessly straightening Luce's already straight bedcovers. "How… How am I here?" Luce hated not knowing, she hated having to ask. To ask for information was to show weakness. People were supposed to readily give it up, sometimes with a few prompting remarks. That's what Luce knew at least. But she didn't have time to waste with the nurse. Besides it wasn't like it mattered. Not here. "Oh dear," the nurse sighed at her. Luce hoped she would stop with the pet names. It was getting on her nerves. "You don't remember do you? I suppose that makes sense. You did hit your head awfully hard." The nurse gazed at her with an empathetic look that sent Luce's skin crawling, "You were in a car accident darling, a rather bad one. In fact you should count your lucky stars you aren't in worse condition!" Hardly, Luce thought, it isn't my lucky stars I should be thanking. But she didn't say that, instead she asked again, wincing inwardly "What happened?"

"Well, we aren't exactly sure. The car you were found in had been t-boned, by another. You were in the passenger seat, but they…" The nurse hesitated here, putting her hands softly on top of Luce's, who didn't pull away. "They, couldn't find a driver." Luce caught her breath. They couldn't find a driver. They couldn't find a driver.

Her mom laughed, facing front again both hands on the wheel. "Alright then. Where do you want to eat?" Luce pondered, "HMMMM" exaggerating the thinking face so as to make her mom laugh again. She had been exceptionally tense since their arrival in New York and Luce had made it her goal to get her mother to relax as much as possible. "How about… cupcakes?" Her mom shook her head, "Hardly a food group there Lu." "But mom," Luce protested, "You don't understand, New York is renowned for cupcakes. It's what made them famous." Her mom raised an eyebrow, "Funny. But no. Pick a place where we can get a real meal. You never know when you'll eat again." Luce's stomach rumbled as if to supplement the point. It was her mom's motto really. Always be prepared. Don't expect the unexpected, because then it becomes the expected. Just be ready for any possible outcome. Luce sighed gazing out the window, her eyes rest upon a little Italian place. Eyes lighting up, she turned crookedly in her seat to face her mom, and saw a dark blur come rushing at them. The next thing she knew, she was flying back against the window, her head smacking against the window. Her ears rang, she shook her head trying to clear the sound, but her mind screeched in protest. Her mom laid still against the wheel of the car. Luce unstrapped her seatbelt, "mom.. mom.." She shook her mother, who groaned softly. Then coming to, jumped into action. "Luce? Damages?" Luce forced a smile on her face, "smacked my head but I'm alright." Sudden voices came from outside the car. They were deep and masculine. They weren't speaking English. German. It look Luce a second to decide. "Go cautious." A voice barked. "We want them alive for now." Luce couldn't tell how many there were, she shot a look at her mom. She was disentailing herself from the wreckage but appeared unhurt. "Luce…" Funny her mom looked all fuzzy suddenly, "Lu.." Yeah fuzzy like a panda bear. Luce couldn't help but giggle. Sudden stabs of pain shot through her skull. Big mistake. There was a sudden darkness. "LUCILLE!" Her mom shook her awake. "Luce, listen to me right now." Luce looked at her mom, who was staring at her intensely, "listen. I'll take care of the Hand alright? I need you to get this to Tony Stark," she shoved a small USB drive into Luce's palm. "Tony Stark, do you understand?" Luce blinked at her trying to make out the words through the haze of pain, "Tony Stark" she repeated numbly. Her mom gave her a tight smile. "I'll be back" Kissing Luce on the forehead she slipped through the shattered driver's side window. Luce could hear yelling and gunshots as they sounds grew fainter. The last thing she heard was sirens before she gave into the blackness devouring her mind.

"Oh." Luce suddenly vaulted back into the present, suddenly anxious. The nurse looked at her concerned. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." "Do you have my things? The things I was wearing?" The nurse leaned back slightly taking in the change in her patient. Luce didn't care what the nurse thought. Her mom had given her a mission and she was wasting time sitting here in this hospital bed. "Of, of course, they're right here in these drawers." The nurse gestured to the dresser on the opposite wall. "Let me get them for you." Luce started to protest but the nurse was already across the room. "Here you go, I'm afraid they're still dirty. There hasn't been enough time to get them laundered." She deposited the garments on Luce's bed, who grabbed for them patting them down until she felt the familiar shape of a USB in her pants pocket. She must have put it there before she passed out. Luce breathed a sigh of relief. At least it wasn't gone. "Happy now?" the nurse said. "Yes." Luce said settling back into her pillows, trying to keep her still pounding head still. The nurse grinned in a placating way, "Wonderful! I'll go tell the doctor you're awake, he'll be so pleased." Luce didn't bother responding. She was too busy contemplating how to get out of the hospital unnoticed.

...

Luce fiddled with the jello on her tray. The doctor had come to check her rather rapidly after the nurse left leaving Luce no time to implement her escape plan. Then, there hadn't been a shortage of nurses flowing through all day. You'd think there'd be more important things to do in a hospital then to check up on a concussion patient. Luce thought bitterly. That had been the doctor's diagnosis. A rather serious one he has said. Luce scoffed at that. She'd had worse. Although if she was being honest with herself, Luce would have to admit this one was pretty bad. She still didn't see why she was still here though. She had surmised she'd been in the hospital for almost six hours. Waaaay longer than necessary, she thought. The EMTs had brought her in in the morning and it was almost four in the afternoon by now. Luce was losing precious daylight time and she hated every second of it. She hated the waiting. She hated hospitals. She hated the endless questions the most. They had asked who she was of course, since she hadn't an ID on her. Luce told them her name was "Abigail Brown". The totaled car after all, belonged to a "Mrs. Brown" and since Luce wasn't sure how much story checking the doctors were doing she thought she might as well stick with the cover that was in place.

"Abby?" A nurse knocked, poking her head in. This one was blonde, different from the one before, but no more memorable. "Yeah?" Luce put down her fork, resolving never to touch cherry jello again. "There are some men here who would like to speak with you about the accident." Luce immediately went on high alert, "men?" The nurse flashed her a smile, "just some detectives that want your side of the story." That didn't reassure Luce one bit, but she laid back against the covers, looking for all the world, submissive. The nurse took that as a sign to let the detectives in. The men entered the room one at a time. The first one was shorter than the second, somewhat balding but he had trustworthy look to his face. As if he believed in everything he did. Of course that didn't mean Luce trusted him, she knew all to well about how faces could lie. The second man was a bit taller than the first, but he was stocky, well-muscled. He looked uncomfortable, out of place in the suit he was wearing. The second man stopped short when he saw Luce, and tried, unsuccessfully, to keep Luce from noticing. The first man, either didn't see it, or chose to ignore it. He held out a badge briefly, "My name's Agent Coulson, this is Agent Barton." He gestured to the second man, "We'd like to ask you a few questions if that's alright." It wasn't a question, however it was phrased, it was a demand, Luce understood. She put on her tragic amnesiac car accident victim persona. Playing the ever innocent role of school girl. While she groaned inwardly, this is going to take so much time. Better just get rid of them as quick as possible. "However I can help!" She said cheerfully, "though I don't remember much." Luce added a tinge of regret to her sickly sweet voice. "No matter," Agent Coulson said, "We'll take what we can get." He smiled at her not unkindly, "What do you remember?" Luce sighed, looking to the distance as if to recall, "not much," she spoke wistfully, "I was in the car with my mom, we were going to get Italian…" As much truth as possible without giving it away that was the key to a successful lie. Her mom told her often and Luce never forgot. "I'm not sure what happened next, we got hit and that's all I remember." Agent Coulson frowned, clearly not happy with the lack of information. "Your mom, she was driving the car correct?" Luce nodded, and didn't fail to notice that the pain she had felt earlier in the day was receding. "As I understand it, your mom wasn't in the car when first-responders got to the accident, it that correct?" Luce shrugged, "that's what they told me. I don't really understand.. I dunno where she went" Luce allowed a bit of distress into her voice, not letting it get to tears, but just enough so the agents believed her. Agent Coulson's face softened at that, Agent Barton's, Luce noted, did not. In fact, he hadn't done much but stare at her. "Look," Agent Coulson's voice had softened, he walked closer to her. "I know this is upsetting, but is there anything. Anything at all that you remember. Even if you think it's trivial it could help lead us to the people who hit you, to your mom." Luce screwed up her face as if trying in vain to remember, she sighed allowing evident sadness into her features now, "I… I can't I'm so sorry" Her voice cracked as if near tears. Agent Coulson let a breath through his nose, showcasing his frustration. "Alright. That's all for now." He started for the door, "Get better and let us know if you remember anything else." He dropped a card on her bed and then exited, quickly followed by Agent Barton who gave her a hard long look before finally leaving. Luce waited until their footsteps were long down the hall and let the teary-eyed persona drop. She picked up the card the agent had left.

Phil Coulson

(646) 555-9385

Huh. She thought. No title, no agency. Agency even. Why were they sending agents to do a policeman's job? Luce laid back against her pillow, meditating on what had just occurred and setting up her plan for leaving the hospital that night.

...

Clint Barton scoffed. "Can you believe that kid? The audacity to lie right to our faces! Unbelievable!" He and Coulson were walking through a park on their way to the food trucks. Phil said nothing, he was busy mulling over the encounter in his head. Clint, though was done being silent. "and did you notice how much she resembled Meri? It was odd, she's definitely hiding something. Abigail Brown my ass." Phil stopped suddenly. Looking at Clint as though a thought had just occurred to him, "what'd you say?" Clint stopped too, staring back. "I said a lot of things."

"No no, about Meri."

"Oh yeah," Clint shrugged, "they look almost exactly alike. Well, except the hair, and the eyes. There was something off about that girl's eyes." Phil said nothing, just started walking again, nodding and mumbling to himself. Clint didn't bother to notice though. This detective work wasn't really his thing. He was only along in case they somehow ran into The Hand. The Hand, he thought those bastards were definitely behind the crash. It had there MO all over it. Showy. In a Public Place. Lots of witnesses to exaggerate the story later. It was the through the witnesses how they had managed to find out about the attack. There had been traffic cam footage of course, but it had only lasted two minutes on their server before it was somehow wiped. Long enough to get extremely pixelated head shots of course. And their best techs were on trying to find out who managed to erase the footage. As of right now though, all they had to go on was the numerous, every changing witness accounts of the big scary, Russian/German/Polish men giants who apparently fought a woman and then ran off. That, and the girl. Gosh, that girl. She was a puzzle to Clint. He had no idea how she fit into all of this, why she was there, who she was with and why she chose to lie to them. Ah well, Phil will figure it all out, Clint surmised, all I've got to focus on is what kind of gyros I want.

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Thanks for reading! If you got this far, but didn't like it, feel free to let me know why! That way I can actually like, improve. :)

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