So logically, this comes after Beyond Hope, and Beyond Reason.

Usually there was only silence. But when his body demanded that he rest, that's when the screams came. Usually once every other day, his body would make him rest. He never screamed words, just hollow and fearful cries. Screams that made even the most seasoned agents cringe. Screams that called for the baser instincts of White Tiger.

Despite her rage that Spiderman was trapped in the medical ward, and that he had made Nova doubt if he was really a criminal. She heard his cries, and her instincts told her to run toward him. To run in and hold him close. To wipe away his tears and to tell him everything was going to be alright.

But when he was awake, she just felt anger. How had one little boy ripped their team apart?

"You're just going to sit there?" Tiger growled. The kid didn't react. His hair had grown longer slowly cascading down past his shoulders, his white bangs falling limp and into his eyes. His skin had paled since his imprisonment. And his eyes were droopy. Yet he still said nothing.

"I don't know what you did to Nova or Spiderman. But you won't get away with it."

"I didn't touch them."

His voice was almost too soft to hear.

"Please. You've personally sent Spiderman to the infirmary and Nova is driving himself mad trying to find out why."

"Another sin to atone to."

"Shut up. You don't have a right to atone."

His eyes lifted, staring into White Tiger's mask. She froze seeing a cold fury she had only seen in the most hardened of criminals. The ones that had a tale or story that held them as a victim.

"I never had a right. And I never will. You don't have to tell me anything I don't already know. I was never to be forgiven," he choked out. His head fell back down and tears fell to his lap, "I wasn't born to be forgiven."

"Born? What are you talking about. You killed those men."

"Killed. Yeah. It's what I was born to do."

"Born? What's with this born crap?"

"They said I would kill. So they wanted me locked away... So I killed them. They knew me better than I thought."

"Oh sure they did."

She left, though not before the seeds of doubt had planted themselves in her mind.

She was no stranger to discrimination. Hated for the legacy of the White Tiger with Kraven and other hunters of her amulet. Hated for her skin color from pretty pale skinned high school girls. Things she had no control over.

That kid was young, wiry, and malnourished. Couldn't hurt a lamb. But he killed those men...

"Tiger?"

"Hey Nova. How's your search going?"

"Uh, fine. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to see what you had found."

There was a pregnant pause. White Tiger didn't think he was going to answer.

"SHIELD is protecting him."

"Excuse me? But he's a criminal."

"He's the son of two scientists. Really smart. Really classified."

"Then how'd you find the information?"

"The kid has friends. And they want to help him."

"Anything about the men he killed?"

"Other scientists. Friends of the family for some. Just colleagues for others."

"Your kidding right? Anything else?"

"Funny how interested you are in this now."

"I don't like not knowing something."

"You were fine before Spidey..."

The silence returned in spades as neither wanted to continue that thought.

"I just want the answers."

"Well, grab a chair and a lap top. Look up everything you can on Zak Saturday, Drew Saturday, Soloman Saturday, Fiskerton Phantom, and Doyle Blackwell."

"Blackwell. He's on SHIELD's most wanted list. He's a mercenary. Known for disappearing from all traces of SHIELD's sight awhile ago. Why is he on this list?"

"He's his uncle. His mother's brother. Separated at a young age when they were traveling in Tibet. He was raised in a poor city. She was raised in a temple."

"You know a lot."

"I wanted to know the truth. Petey is out cold and Zak genuinely doesn't believe Peter when Peter tells him he's innocent. You know Peter is good with knowing who's innocent and who's guilty. Whatever Peter knows, it's important. Even if Zak doesn't believe it. It's insane."

"But this needs to be solved if we're going to help Peter."

"And coffee. Lots of coffee."

"Is that how you've been staying awake?"

"Nope. They cut me off two days yesterday."

"Two days yesterday? I think you need sleep."

It was that comment that led to White Tiger dragging an unconscious Nova through the SHIELD sanctioned ship to his bed.

Blalalalalalalalala.

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