Chapter 3: Hell hath no fury
That day I met Cornelius Craven…was one of the scariest moments of my life.
To an ordinary person who doesn't know him, or is oblivious to all the terrors of the world, he'd seem like an ordinary (if slightly creepy) guy.
To twelve-year-old me however, he was my worst nightmare as he stood in front of that jet black armoured car. He wanted to take me away. Promised me that I'd go to a good home where I was safe and wanted.
Had I not been so distrusting as a kid, I might've gone with him. But (thankfully) something stopped me.
I cannot explain it. There was just something about him that made my skin crawl.
Maybe it was the way he looked at me, like a panther about to pounce at any moment, but I knew that if I crossed this man he wouldn't hesitate to kill me. And I don't mean killing me by just shooting me. I mean killing me in the most sadistic, slowest way imaginable…and he'd enjoy it.
You'd think that after living under the violent rule of Billy for all my childhood that I'd be unafraid of such a man.
But nothing could be further from the truth, because two years later when I met him at Tony's party I was still just as scared of him.
And for good reason.
"You" Via breathed, her eyes darting around. But no matter where she looked she could see no escape.
The man just smirked as he fingered his small tumbler of scotch.
"Hello Miss Summers, or is it Strange now? Two surnames to choose from, it must be tough huh?"
Via didn't say anything, how could she? This was just too horrible-
"Agh! That's better" the man gulped down the last of his drink, pausing as he caught sight of her wary glower. "Such a fire, even after all this time."
"I'll show you fire asshole" Via snapped gripping her own glass tight. The thought of smashing it and using the broken fragments as a weapon was a very appealing option right now.
"Tut-tut. Pretty girls shouldn't be using such foul language"
"Why? Because we should be catering to the whims of bastards like you?" Via spat quietly, setting down her glass and instead fingering the twin dragon bracelet that glimmered on her right wrist.
If she could just hide the glow beneath her skirt, she might be able to transform Asmund into a tiny dagger, or at least something small and sharp before this man tried anything.
As if guessing her thoughts, the man smirked.
"Nice try kid. But you'll have to think of a better strategy than that. Oh man if I had a penny for every time Freyja pulled that trick on me-"
"What?" Via felt her veins freeze to ice as the man's eyes glinted wickedly.
"You heard me kid, Freyja, your birth mother. Remarkable woman, if I should say so myself. Though I'm surprised it took you this long to find out. I suppose Elias did his job well covering his tracks"
"Wait what-Who's Elias? Who are you?" Via spluttered as the man suddenly straightened up and turned his back on her, still smirking.
"Sorry kid, Q and A is over. If you want more answers then you'll just have to come and find me. Don't worry…I'll be patient"
"Wait-hold it-!" Via reached forwards to grab at the man's sleeve, only to smack her face directly into someone who suddenly decided to stride across her path.
With a cry she reeled backwards, her heel catching on the hem of her dress. There was a tug, her legs flew upwards and she landed squarely on her back, her head throbbing as it hit the ground with a thud.
She could vaguely hear some gasps of surprise and some laughter all around her as she opened her eyes, her vision swimming a little as she stared up at the brightly lit ceiling.
"Ow…" she winced as someone's shadow suddenly obscured her vision.
"You okay kid?" a man's voice spoke as his face swam in and out of focus. From what she could see he had dark hair and a kindly face and careful gentle hands that were currently lifting her head to inspect the back.
"Yeah…yeah…I'm okay" she grunted as she gingerly got up onto her elbows, only to sway a little as her head throbbed.
"Whoa-easy there. Take it slow. You've got a big lump back here" the man caught her before she could hit the ground and carefully maneuvered her up into a sitting position. "Natasha do you think you could get some ice?"
"Don't worry Bruce, Tony's already called for some"
Via turned and saw a very beautiful woman with short curly red hair dressed all in black turn to smirk to a very pale and very sheepish-
"Oh…hi" Via gulped as the big blonde Goliath from two days ago knelt by her side holding out a packet of ice.
"I'm sorry miss, once again, I wasn't watching where I was going"
"It's okay. It's not the first time this has happened." Via took the packet from him and pressed it against the back of her head. "Ah…that's better"
"Again? You two have met before?" The brown-haired man next to her frowned.
"Yes, two days ago we bumped into one another in the street. Nice to see you again uh…" Via held out her free hand. The man just looked at it for a moment confused, until the red-haired woman, Natasha, nudged him with her heeled foot.
"Oh, right of course," He coughed reaching out to carefully shake Via's hand "I am Thor, Prince of Asgard and the Son of Odin. Forgive me but I am still not used to some Midgardian customs"
"Yeah…join the club" Via smirked as she finally pulled herself up into a proper sitting position, helped of course by the dark-haired man by her side.
"Thanks mister…?"
"Bruce, and this is my…uh…friend Natasha" he gulped his cheeks going pink as Natasha behind him gave a short nod, her eyes scanning Via's face with intense scrutiny.
"So uh…what are you guys doing here?" Via gulped, feeling her cheeks turn pink under the scrutinizing gaze.
"We live here" another voice piped in, and a sandy haired man with sharp eyes suddenly popped his head over Natasha's shoulder.
"Hey kid, the name's Clint Barton,"
"Via…Via Summers" Via said again as she shakily stood to her feet, both Thor and Bruce's hands hovering carefully around her as she did. After a small stumble she found her feet and straightened up.
"Summers? As in Olivia Summers?" Clint asked excitedly.
"Uh yeah?" Via blinked as Clint's face split into a wide grin.
"Ha! So you're the one who called Tony an old man?"
"She what?" Thor snorted with laughter.
"Yeah. Apparently, she called him old right to his face when she first met him" Clint grinned wide.
"Well that would explain why he's a bit moody tonight" Natasha smirked as Bruce tried to hide his own behind his hand.
"I didn't mean to call him old" Via felt her cheeks go red with embarrassment "It just slipped out. Besides I didn't really say he was old…just that he was old enough to be my father"
All four of the Avengers present snorted with laughter, even Bruce couldn't restrain his chuckles as he patted her shoulder gently.
"It's okay. Don't worry about it. It's about time something like this happened."
"Yeah kid you have no idea, how many girls fawn over him. But this is just gold! And speaking of old men" Clint smirked as two people suddenly strode up behind him.
It was Tony Stark, practically dragging along a very rattled Steve Rogers.
"-Thanks Tony. Hey guys" he sighed in relief as he straightened out his slightly askew bow-tie.
"Sofia Caster was piling onto him again, so I pulled off an emergency one-man rescue mission" Tony explained and the avengers all nodded in understanding. All save Via who frowned in confusion.
"I'm sorry but who?"
"Sofia Caster, super model, super bitch and number one fan of our good Friend Captain America" Clint sniggered as Steve's ears turned pink upon catching sight of Via.
"Oh hi kid."
"Hey yourself. How's it going?" Via gave a small salute much to Thor's surpise.
"You two know each other?"
"We met last week." Steve coughed slightly "at Central park. She was…uh…you were…"
"I was being accosted by some thugs and Captain Rogers here helped me out"
"Really? Captain Rogers rescued you?" Tony grunted, grimacing a little as Natasha spared him an incredulous glare.
What the hell am I getting all worked up for? I've dealt with Stephen Strange for nearly a year. I can sure as hell deal with this childish pompous ass.
Via thought to herself as she smirked.
"Yep, he sure did Old Man."
Tony narrowed his eyes at her. Via just met his gaze, as cool as a cucumber, hands on her hips.
Then he suddenly sighed, his scowl being quickly replaced by a small chuckle.
"Okay I guess I deserved that one."
"Understatement of the century" Clint muttered under his breath, but Tony ignored her as he said.
"Another understatement" Natasha muttered, still eyeing Via up and down carefully. "So, you're Stephen Strange's kid huh?"
"Yeah…well ward actually. The adoption process only just started" Via shrugged, cheeks slightly pink as Bruce frowned.
"Adopted…So he's not your actual-"
"Huh? Oh no. No, we're not biologically related. At least I don't think we are." Via pressed the cool pack tighter to the back of her head.
"Sorry it's just from the way he was talking about you…you seemed quite close"
"Yeah well…" Via bit her lip.
Damn. How on earth was she going to explain this?
She was spared the trouble as a woman came striding towards their group.
She was tall with dyed blonde hair and wore heels that were as tall as stilts (in Via's opinion). Her satiny dress was a very bold lurid shade of green and was pulled tightly about her voluptuous form, leaving nothing to the imagination. Via found herself wincing as the light hit all the silver and jewels that adorned her neck and ears and dress.
But what irritated Via most of all was her face. Now Via had no problem with girls who decided to doll themselves up with a little make-up (like her best friend Meeta), but by god was this woman trying so hard it was ridiculous. She didn't need the make-up she was pretty enough without it, but still she'd caked it on. And then there was the way she started clinging to Steve's side like a barnacle as she got close.
"Oh, Stevie why'd you run off like that, we were having such a good time."
"Sorry Sophie. You can blame me. We needed to have a team talk." Tony cut in before Steve could utter one word.
"Ooh team talk. Sounds fun" Sophie giggled, a sound that to Via sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. "Talk about what"
"Oh we wanted to introduce him to Stephen Strange's new ward. She's a big Captain America Fan you know" Tony smirked at Via who scowled mutinously at him.
She supposed this was his payback for being called an old man.
"Stephen Strange's what?" Sophie sneered as her eyes found Via, roving over her pink dress with abject resent.
"Ward" Via blinked nervously. "Y'know, as in he's my legal guardian."
There was a pause, and then.
"Ha! Hahahahaha! Oh good, oh that's a good one Tony. Ahahahahaha!" Sophie hiccupped practically leaning on Steve as she giggled and pointed at Via who now folded her arms rolling her eyes. "Oh-oh that's just too cute."
"Uh...Sophie…she isn't joking. She really is his kid. He brought her here as his plus one" Steve frowned catching Bruce's eye as he nervously shifted on his feet. Even Clint and Thor were looking uncomfortable as Sophie snorted.
"Oh come now, you can't expect me to believe that a man as highbrow as Stephen Strange is adopting this…scrawny, tasteless, miserable little thing? Why that dress is so old fashioned-"
"Tasteless? Excuse me Lady but when was the last time you looked in a mirror?"
"Well I never-"
"Never did what? Learn any respect?" Via put her hands on her hips. "Wow, now that really is a surprise. Seriously, I've met women on the street with more dignity then you."
"Why you little-"
"Hey you both want to know what is a surprise-" Tony quickly chimed in, panicking a little as he caught sight of Natasha glaring at him reproachfully "-The cake. Yes, we've got cake! Who wants some? Hill bring up the cake-"
"Yeah Tony, cake's a great idea" Steve meaningfully looked at his friends for support.
But Sophie was glaring at Via with so much venom that half the people watching her were expecting a forked tongue to slither out of her mouth as she hissed:
"Listen kid, just because Stephen Strange took pity on you doesn't mean you're suddenly all that. You can dress as… fancily-" she sneered down at Via's dress as she took a step forwards "-as you want, but let's get one thing straight. You will never belong in this crowd. You are, and will always be, a little brat who obviously was ditched at some dump, because her mama never learned to keep her legs shut-"
"Sophie!" Someone yelled.
There was a ringing silence as all the avengers stared in stunned silence at Via, who was now standing, arms folded, staring Sophie Caster down, her eyes a bright blue fire. And it wasn't just the Avengers who were staring. Half the people around them had stopped talking to watch with mild interest as Via looked down to the floor, her fists clenching tight.
"Y'know, for a rich woman who supposedly has class, you really are a bitch"
Then without warning her hand swiped out, snagging a plate of cake a waiter was about to pass out to someone, and thrust it straight into Sophie Caster's face.
"AHMGAHA!" Sophie yelled as the young girl pushed her face further and further into the mixture of sponge, cream and icing before yanking it off her face and shoving the rest of it straight into the plunging neckline of her dress.
The plate fell to the floor with a clatter as, snarling, Via straightened up and shook her icing covered hands.
"Mister Stark, where's the ladies room? I really need to clean up." She asked through gritted teeth.
"Down the corridor to your left and first door to the right" a computer like voice of a man suddenly sounded from the now very stunned billionaire's pocket.
"Uh…thanks…whoever that was" Via shrugged, and before anyone could even do or say anything she turned on her heel and stormed off out of the very silent VIP platform.
Yeah…so I gave a cake in the face to Sophie Caster. Not one of my shining moments, but still by god that woman deserved it.
I know I'm not the easiest person to get along with, but still…I don't know.
Something just doesn't sit right with me about the whole ordeal, and quite frankly every single other confrontation I've had with people I don't like. Either people like me quickly and overlook my flaws, or they get aggressively confrontational really fast. It's weird.
Is it just me? Am I really such a confrontational person? Or is it something more? Is there something about me that just makes people feel threatened?
I once asked Stephen about it but he stayed suspiciously quiet and told me not to worry about it. Why he did that I have no idea. But I hope that in time, he might tell me before something even worse happens.
It had been a long time since Stephen Strange had been to a party. Nearly two years ago in fact. He'd almost forgotten how much he'd enjoyed this kind of thing. The lights, the music, the champagne…
Granted he was at Tony Stark's party, but still, there were several of the worlds most renowned scientists in attendance so at least he was assured of good company.
And Via, he was so impressed by how well she handled herself. True she had a couple of hiccups at the beginning with Tony Stark, but when he'd introduced her to Helen Cho she'd been a perfect lady and had listened politely until she'd gotten bored and then quietly excused herself.
Perhaps I should see how she's doing. It's been a while since I've seen her.
He quickly excused himself from the group of his current raconteurs (which included a rather bright and pretty Astro-physicist called Jane Foster) and began turning his head around for signs of his young ward.
When he caught sight of her, he was surprised to find her at the completely opposite end of the platform and talking with a group of people he had no trouble recognising.
Thor? Black Widow? The Hulk and Hawkeye?
"Huh…well what do you know" he smirked as he watched her laugh and smirk with the four Avengers, who all likewise were looking quite at ease with the young girl.
Even Tony Stark and Captain Rogers both seemed to be enjoying her company as they joined the laughing group.
But then again, Stephen couldn't really blame them. She may have been a rough and tough girl, but deep down she had a good heart. Anyone with a working pair of eyes could see that from a mile off.
Everyone except Sophie Caster.
That vile, poisonous snake.
He thought as he eyed her moving through the crowd.
Back when he was the world's best doctor, she'd hung onto his arm at nearly every function they met at. At first, he'd been flattered by the attention, but as time passed he found her company to be increasingly repulsive.
Even tonight, he'd purposefully avoided her like she was the plague. But even so he'd kept a close watch on her as he heard her flitting about asking questions about him and his new ward, spreading gossip about them both for her own amusement.
God what is that woman up to now?
Stephen narrowed his eyes as he saw said woman stride up to the Avengers and Via and latch herself onto the Captain, regarding Via with an expression befitting a green-eyed monster.
She certainly is dressed like one.
Stephen snorted, folding his arms as he leaned back to watch the show. If there was one thing Via could do it was put someone in their place (as she'd done so many times to him).
He wished he hadn't stayed still.
True Via had managed to handle the dreadful woman with that rapier sharp tongue of hers, but then Sophie had to go and put her foot in it.
"-You will never belong in this crowd. You are, and will always be, a little brat who obviously was ditched at some dump, because her mama never learned to keep her legs shut"
It was only a split second but Stephen saw it at once. That horrible shocked look of hurt, the slight tearing up of Via's eyes.
"Sophie!" He felt his gut burn hotly with fury as he shoved his way through the crowd.
But even as he reached the group he was too late.
Via had already shoved a plate of cake into the woman's face and chest.
Had he not been so angry at Sophie's stupidity, he might've laughed at the ridiculous sight before him. But all he could focus on right now was the young girl who was storming off the platform and into a corridor, tears starting to fall down her eyes despite her trying to hold them back.
"Olivia!" he called but already she had turned a corner and had vanished out of sight.
"Strange-I uh-we-" Tony Stark gulped, his shock rendering him unusually sheepish as the doctor rounded on him, pale eyes flashing.
"What happened?" he growled, and the man of iron was reminded very forcibly of a rabid wolf ready to bite.
"Ask Sophie. She's the one responsible for this mess" Natasha Romanov glared daggers at said woman who was retching and coughing as she wiped cake from her face.
"Why that little brat-how dare she-I'll show her-"
"The only thing you're going to show my ward is an apology, Caster. And if I catch you talking to her like that ever again you'll have me to deal with, and I assure you you'll get more than just a cake to the face," Stephen quietly snarled, so viciously that, Clint Steve and Thor instantly bristled, ready to act should they need to restrain him.
Behind them Bruce Banner was quietly trying to shrink into the background, though if anyone was looking at him closely they'd be able to see his knuckles had turned faintly green as they balled into fists by his sides.
But then the moment passed, and with a deep breath Stephen straightened himself up forcing a polite but cool look of indifference onto his face as he addressed Tony.
"Stark, if you wouldn't mind, I could do with some help finding my ward."
"Uh…Sure…" Tony nodded, fiddling with something in his pocket as he quickly addressed his team "Guys if you could um…settle everyone else. Hill if you wouldn't mind showing Sophie Caster out after she's uh…cleaned up that would be great."
"Of course." Maria Hill piped in as she suddenly reappeared from behind someone.
Stephen frowned slightly at this. That woman was far too good at sneaking around to be completely normal.
Must be an agent…like Miss Romanov
He figured as he chanced one glance at said assassin who was standing amidst her teammates, eyeing him warily as he and Tony Stark walked off the platform and down a long corridor.
Once they were safely out of earshot of everyone else, Tony sighed heavily.
"I'm sorry about all that mess with Caster." He said and Stephen looked at him in surprise.
"It's not your fault" Stephen clipped tersely.
"I usually don't invite her because Cap hates her" Tony continued awkwardly, trying hard to look at anything but the man next to him. "but she managed to sneak her way in as someone's plus one"
"Yes, she's quite good at that" Stephen shook his head.
Tony chuckled.
"Yeah, I know. But if I had known she'd be here I'd have chucked her out. Especially if I had known she was gonna treat the kid like that-"
"Alright, first off her name is Olivia. Not kid" Stephen clipped irritably. "And secondly, if you honestly did care you wouldn't have let the situation escalate like that"
"…okay I guess I kinda deserved that" Tony muttered, quietly "Though honestly, how was I supposed to know she'd stoop that low-"
"Because it's not the first time she's stooped that low" Stephen sneered
"…touché" Tony allowed himself a small smirk. "That being said, your new ward is quite the young lady-"
"I thought you had outgrown looking at young women when you started dating the lovely Miss Potts" Stephen smirked and was pleased to see Tony scowl irritably.
"Very funny" he snapped "I just meant…Most girls Caster bullies tend to crumble under pressure. But yours…She's got real guts. Not many kids would have the balls to do what she did in there."
"You have no idea" Stephen murmured and for the first time Tony saw the man, his face was softer, kinder even affectionate as he nodded quietly to himself.
Tony shivered. He had thought things were weird before but now this was just pushing it.
"I'm sorry, but who are you and what have you done to Stephen Strange?" He asked and was secretly relieved when Stephen raised an imperious brow at him.
"Meaning?"
"Well…it's just…all this" Tony gestured to him wildly "You disappear for two whole years and then you just pop up out of the blue acting all humble and polite, adopting a kid-"
"You got a problem with that Stark?" Stephen narrowed his eyes.
"No-no! There's no problem. If you want to turn your life around that's fine. Good for you but…I'm just saying it's a surprise that's all. I mean, no offence but the last time I met you…you were quite-"
"A selfish asshole?" Stephen provided, and Tony was surprised to see the man chuckle. "I guess I've heard worse"
"From who? The kid?"
"Of course, who else?" Stephen smirked, only to grimace as realization suddenly hit him. "And speaking of her, where is she?"
"I thought you knew. That's why I followed you" The billionaire shrugged as the doctor groaned.
"Well I thought you knew so I was following you."
"Well I don't know, I just thought you were following her path"
"Well that's just perfect. It's the blind leading the f-ing blind" Stephen muttered as he rubbed his temple.
"Or maybe not" Tony quickly pulled out something from his pocket. It looked to be a piece of glass, but then a quick swipe of the man of iron's fingers and suddenly blue holographic images sprang to life over the surface of it.
"Jarvis," Tony spoke aloud to the corridor at large "if you wouldn't mind scanning all security footage from the past five minutes pertaining to Olivia Summers. She's a teenager, curly blonde hair, blue eyes, wearing a pink dress."
"Scanning all security footage. Miss Summers appears to be still in the building but has ascended to the upper floors via the lift to your right. It appears to have stalled between floors ten and eleven" The computerized voice of JARVIS spoke politely from the ceiling.
"The stalled?" Stephen frowned as did Tony who was looking at the tiny screen in front of him.
"Alright…uh Jarvis can you pull up the security feed from just before she got in the lift."
Both Stephen and Tony stared at the tiny screen as an image flickered to life.
There was Via standing in the corridor, in the exact same spot as they were currently in, alongside someone else. Someone else with a dark bald head, wearing a black trench coat and a black eyepatch over his left eye.
"Oh crap" Tony gulped.
Of all the people that had to interfere right now…it just had to be you didn't it?
When I first met Nick Fury, I was wary of him. It's understandable really. The guy is after all a master spy no wait scratch that he was THE master spy.
Head of SHIELD, creator of the Avengers initiative.
Why he wanted to talk to me that night I don't know, all I do know is that after I talked with him my life was never the same again.
"Stupid old bitch" Via sniffed, as she tried and failed to hold back tears.
She was far down the long corridor now and had long since passed the door to the bathroom.
But she didn't care. All she wanted now was space to clear her head in peace where she wouldn't be at risk of lashing out at someone else.
She couldn't help it. Firstly she'd made an ass of herself upon her arrival, then she'd argued with Mordo, causing him to leave, then that scary man that had stalked her two days ago had just reappeared and now she'd just thrown cake into the face of one of Tony Stark's guests.
Stephen would be so pissed at me when he hears what I did. He was so looking forward to tonight and I positively blew it for him. All because I let that old cow get under my skin.
She stopped as she heard a pair of footsteps behind her.
Via fingered Asmund and Brynja on her wrist. Whoever this was, if they wanted to attack her they'd have to be prepared for a fight.
No. don't jump to conclusions. Wait and listen, it might just be someone normal.
She sucked in a deep breath as she continued listening to the person's footsteps.
They were heavy (a mans she was guessing), made by booted feet, and they weren't walking but stalking carefully. She knew that stalk…it was the kind Mordo often used whenever he sparred. But unlike her ex teacher, this person's footsteps were far heavier. Whoever he was, he obviously wanted her to hear him approach.
No chance of a sneak attack then.
She thought just as a voice spoke behind her.
"Olivia Summers?"
Via turned to face him, jaw set as she prepared herself for the worst, only to find herself face to face with a dark bald man wearing all black and sporting a black eyepatch over his scarred left eye.
"Who's asking?" she clipped as she quietly assessed him.
The man wasn't acting aggressive, but something in his stance told her that could all change in a heartbeat if she proved too hostile.
But for now the man contented himself with merely eyeing her up and down as he quietly answered.
"My name is Nick Fury. I was a friend of your mother's, Freyja Sorenson"
"I've met a lot of my mother's friends. They never once mentioned you." Via narrowed her eyes at him, carefully fingering her bracelet beneath the folds of her dress.
"Not many of them would" the man, Fury agreed solemnly "I wager most of these people would've attacked you the minute they laid eyes on you. But I'm not one of them"
"Then what are you?" Via gulped.
"Like I said. I was a friend. An ally as it were" Fury explained, his one good eye quickly flickering to her wrist "Your mother and I worked together back when she was alive. She helped me and my organization find a great many artefacts and defend the world from dangerous threats"
"Right…and your organization was?"
"SHIELD"
Via stared at the man, then snorted.
"You honestly expect me to believe that?"
Fury raised his eyebrows at her.
"I already know about your birth mother. And I know about you. Olivia Freyja Summers, Born 31st April 2000. You grew up in Hope Haven Orphanage in the Bronx. You suffered abuse at the hands of its caretakers Millicent and William Hope. You've had two offers of adoption, one in 2009 and the second in 2012 but both fell through at the last minute. You ran away a few weeks after the Battle for New York and lived on the streets, mainly travelling between the Bronx and Queens but occasionally travelling to Manhattan and New Jersey. Come the beginning of this year you disappeared right after a woman named Fala Begay was murdered by an unknown assailant, only to reappear months later in the care of the recluse Doctor Stephen Strange."
"Wow…nice to know my whole life story can be summed up in one short blurb" Via snorted, but she did not relax one bit.
Fury noticed this but far from being insulted, he looked quite amused.
"You still don't trust me?"
"If I trusted everyone so easily Mister Fury I'd be dead by now"
"I see" Fury muttered quietly.
"I should've guessed this would happen" he murmured to himself when she refused to answer. "When the Ancient One said you were quite sceptical, I thought she was kidding"
Via almost felt her heart stop.
"You…knew the Ancient One?"
"She was an old friend." Fury explained, carefully eyeing her face "Her and her best sorcerers often helped my agents and I with our more…unusual missions. Your mother was one of those select few. And if I'm not mistaken that dress you wear was one of hers"
"How on earth do you know that?" Via looked down on herself.
"Because she wore it once on an undercover mission in Paris. She was helping us exorcise an interdimensional demon from one of our enemy's agents before they could use it to launch a terror attack on the city."
If Via wasn't a sorcerer she might have been rolling on the floor laughing by now. But she didn't. Instead she lowered her guard just a fraction, her ears pricking as she heard the distant sounds of footsteps echoing down the corridor.
Fury heard them too and quickly pressed for the lift.
"Perhaps we could finish this discussion in a more private setting"
"I still don't trust you" Via said with narrowed eyes.
"then don't trust me. Just listen. If you decide not to trust me after that I'll bring you back to the party safe and sound. You have my word"
Via wanted to roll her eyes and tell him that she didn't even trust his word, but there was something serious in the look he gave her with his one eye that made her pause.
Maybe…just maybe, he might be trustworthy.
"God I hope you're not a crazy serial killer" she growled as with a scowl she stepped into the lift, Fury following her quietly.
He stiffened as he saw her reach for the emergency stop button as they passed by floor ten.
Quickly the lift slid to a smooth stop and she stepped back, folded her arms and leaned back against the wall glowering.
"Okay. This is as private as its gonna get. So if you want to talk then talk. Or else I'm sending this lift back down and I'm out."
Despite himself, Fury couldn't help the small smirk that played on his lips.
The kid had guts, he'd give her that.
"Like I said before Summers, your mother was a good friend of mine. She aided SHIELD and acted as a liaison between us and the Masters of the mystic arts. To the world she was merely a consultant in archaeology and antiquities, but in truth she was a Relic Hunter"
"Relic Hunter?" Via asked her curiosity getting the better of her. "You mean she tracked down-"
"Mystical Relics, yes" Fury nodded patiently "And sometimes the rogue sorcerers that tried to steal them."
"Like Fabian Russo?" Via cut across him.
Fury stared at her, his eye narrowing.
"You know of Russo?" he muttered, voice dark but Via could hear a slight bit of worry in his voice.
"Yes. I know him." She nodded, her heart hammering as she sucked in a deep breath and said "He's dead"
"Yes he is" Fury stated grimly "Fabian Russo has been dead for nearly fifteen years-"
"No. He's only been dead for nearly two weeks." Via's gaze hardened as she forced the words out of her throat.
"And you figure this how?" Fury scowled.
"Because…" Via gulped a lump forming in her throat as she turned her face towards the ground. "…I killed him"
"You what?"
"I killed him." She turned and looked him dead in the eye "he was trying to strangle me to death. So I stabbed him. He died shortly after."
"So…it was in self-defence?"
"Self-defence or not I still killed him."
There was a silence as Nick Fury stared down at the girl before him.
Her face didn't even betray the slightest bit of emotion at the confession. It seemed to him that she barely felt a thing. But then he caught sight of her blue eyes and saw a brief spark of pain and guilt flicker ever so slightly over her eyes.
No…this kid wasn't lying. But she wasn't a remorseless killer either.
That didn't make him feel any better. It was SHIELD's job, HIS job to make sure things like this never happened. He and his agents might have done questionable things but it was always with the end goal of ensuring that the rest of humanity would not have to sink to such a level.
The fact that there were still kids like her who'd have to kill to defend themselves for their lives was enough to make his blood boil. After all his hard work, one would think the world was a better place…but it wasn't.
"Does your new guardian know?" he asked quietly and Via nodded.
"Yeah. He and the rest of the order know."
And Cassian.
She thought sadly. Cassian…the first boy she'd ever had feelings for. She'd killed his father and now they both were gone from her life.
No. stop don't think about that!
Via quickly wiped at the corner of her eye, sucking in a breath as she steadied herself back to stoicism.
"If you're in contact with the rest of the Order then you'll have heard about the Ancient One?" She asked quietly.
"Yes. My condolences to you and your fellow masters" Fury coughed. "I may not have always seen eye to eye with her but the Ancient One was a very strong ally. Her death has proven a great blow. One can only hope Doctor Strange will prove himself a worthy successor. But only time will tell"
"He will do well" Via said firmly "he's not ready now. But he will be soon."
"Considering you've only known him a few months you sure have a lot of faith in his abilities" Fury raised his eyebrows.
"Someone has to. It might as well be me. And think about it this way, at least he's not Tony Stark. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm sure Mister Stark is a great hero, but I'm not too keen on letting someone like him close to the mystic arts"
"Neither am I. And yet it is about that very issue that I want to discuss with you"
"Alright then discuss away" Via rolled her eyes as she slumped back into the wall as Fury asked:
"Summers, why do you think Tony Stark invited both you and your guardian here tonight?"
"Because he heard Stephen was in town from Captain Rogers, after that night he found me in Central Park, and he was curious to see what the fuss was about?"
"That is one reason." Fury nodded "the other is that at the end of tonight he wants to offer you a job"
"A job?" Via frowned. "Doing what? Stephen already has a job defending the Sanctums"
"I wasn't talking about Doctor Strange."
Via stared at Fury in astonishment.
"Me? Tony Stark wants to hire me? Why?"
"Because he believes its fate" Fury sighed as if resigned to something completely ridiculous. "He believes that you are the missing piece to a puzzle he and his team have been trying to solve for two years. Ever since the battle of New York the Avengers and SHIELD have done what they can to track down all alien technology the Chitauri used in their invasion. However, there is one thing they have yet to find, a sceptre that belonged to Thor's brother Loki, the Asgardian who led the invasion."
"Right and what do I have to do with this sceptre?" Via folded her arms.
"Like I said before, your mother was a Relic Hunter. As were her parents and grandparents. Even before SHIELD was formed your family hunted relics and rogue mystical practitioners"
"And they think that just because the rest of my dead family hunted relics, that I was just gonna drop everything in my life and help them, when there are probably many other master sorcerers out there that would probably be better for the job?"
"Yes…they are" Fury shrugged as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.
"And let me guess…you came here stop me taking the job" she snorted.
"Yes…and no."
"What?" Via blinked utterly bewildered.
"While there are many sorcerers we could undoubtedly call upon, there is a certain level of trust and surety when it comes the Sorenson name. Had I still been director of SHIELD, I might have recruited you earlier, but circumstances being what they are…that is no longer an option. All past events aside I must warn you. Should you agree to Stark's offer, there will be no going back. The minute you sign that contract is the minute you agree to spending the rest of your life hunted down and fighting to survive as you search for the truth."
"And if I don't sign the contract?"
"Honestly, I do not know" Fury admitted quietly "you could spend most of your life in peace with the other sorcerers, but chances are that won't last either once you start furthering your training. Being an apprentice to the new Sorcerer Supreme will most likely put another target on your back."
As if I didn't have one on it already
Via rolled her eyes to herself in exasperation. God why did her life have to be so complicated?
As if guessing her thoughts, Fury sighed.
"Listen, kid. I can sit here all day, gassing on about all this fate and possible future crap till the cows come home, but ultimately, it's not my decision. It's yours, and I suggest you take a good long think about what you want out of your life, because chances you won't have another opportunity to have the time to stop and think like this again."
And with that he reached out and quickly flicked the emergency elevator button. At once the lift sprang to life, quickly zooming back down.
Neither of them spoke as it slowed down to a stop on the first floor, where it opened to reveal the rather relieved face of Tony Stark and the rather furious one of Doctor Stephen Strange.
As soon as the doors were opened he all but grabbed her and dragged her away from Fury positively hissing with worry.
"Are you alright? What happened? Did he do anything to you?" he whispered furiously as he checked her over.
"I'm fine Stephen" Via waved him off. "Nothing happened. We were just talking"
"Right…just talking" Tony eyed Fury cagily as the ex-director rolled his eye.
"Just giving the kid some advice, Stark. Doctor Strange, I'm surprised to see you out and about." He glanced at Stephen who was glaring at him angrily.
"As is half the population" he turned back to Via "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, i'm sure" Via rolled her eyes before turning back to Fury.
"Next time you want to talk, just call. We do have a landline"
"Oh. I know. But this is more fun." Fury smirked as he quietly stepped back into the lift and pressed the button. Within seconds the door was closed and he was gone.
"Weird guy" Via spoke into the silence.
"Kid…you have no idea" Tony sighed. Now he really did feel old.
IT wasn't long after that that Stephen and I left the party. Once he'd heard that I'd fallen over and gotten a concussion he declared that I should go home to the Sanctum at once and get some sleep.
Too bad Fate had other plans.
"So…you talked with this, Nick Fury. And he told you that Stark was planning to hire you to help the avengers find relics?" Stephen stared at Via as she sat on the other side of his desk.
They were in his office, along with Wong, who had stayed up waiting for their return. He had been most amused by the story of how Via had insulted Tony Stark, and of how she had smashed a cake into Sophie Caster's face.
Whilst the librarian wasn't too pleased that she'd lost her composure, he was willing to overlook her behaviour seeing as she was retaliating to a rather distasteful woman. When it came down to her talk with Nick Fury however, he wasn't quite as understanding.
"Did you tell him that you were only an acolyte"
"Yes. Well I said that I was a kid and there probably was another master out there better suited for the job" Via shrugged.
"But Tony Stark didn't ask you outright?" Wong frowned.
"No. I think he wanted to, hence the invitation. But no, we left before he got the chance."
"If you're going to make a life changing decision, I'd rather you do it when you've not got a head injury that could impair your decision-making skills" Stephen clipped waspishly as he checked the clock on his desk. It was almost twelve at night. He was usually used to staying up this late, but after that party…
Via however, was looking at him head on her gaze determined as she said.
"I'm going to do it"
"You what?" Wong's nostrils flared.
"I'm going to help them find the sceptre. If Stark still wants to ask me." She added, doing her best not to look down into her hands as Wong swelled like a bullfrog.
"You're only an acolyte. You don't even know the litany of spells needed for such a task. Not to mention very few of our order ever make it to become a hunter-"
"Maybe it's in my blood?" Via shrugged "I mean my mother was one. My grandparents apparently were too-"
"But you aren't!" Wong insisted "And just because they're one thing, doesn't mean you have to be that thing yourself. You're your own person, you're free to make your own decisions-"
"Exactly. This is my decision Wong." Via snapped fiercely "I want to do this. If I can, maybe I can find out the truth about what really happened with my mother"
"You're too young-"
"She's MY mother-"
"Enough! Both of you!" Stephen barked, rubbing his forehead. If ever he needed a stiff drink it would be now.
The cloak of Levitation bristled around his shoulders, squeezing him comfortingly as he groaned with tiredness.
"Olivia…I understand where you're coming from. I honestly do" he looked up at Via, his gaze tired but sympathetic "You're angry and confused over what happened with Russo and you want answers. But Wong is right. This is a huge job, even for a fully trained sorcerer. Also…When I made the application to adopt you, I made the promise that I would keep you from harm, not just to the law, but to you as well. And I'm sorry but I can't protect you if you suddenly decide to put yourself in danger like this."
"But Stephen" Via groaned "I've been protecting myself for nearly all my life. And if you think that I'm suddenly going to back down just because you say so then you've got another thing coming. She's my mom, I've got every right to search for the truth about her however I want, and I'm not going to sit around and wait for someone else to dig up the truth-or worse have it end up like it did with Russo-"
"I know" Stephen sighed "Which is why…which is why I will allow you to go through with this AS LONG-" he steamrolled over Wong's splutters of indignation "As long as you follow certain conditions that I set."
"Right…and your conditions are?" Via scowled, though her insides were dancing the conga line of victory.
"I don't know. I need to sleep on it" Stephen muttered. "And on that note, have a bath and get to bed. Your home-schooling starts tomorrow. And I need you up fresh and early."
"Right. Got it. Goodnight Doc…Wong" She added, somewhat reluctantly as Wong grit out through his teeth.
"Goodnight Olivia"
As soon as the door was shut behind her, he rounded on Stephen.
"You can't honestly be considering this?"
"The way I see it Wong, she'll go for it whether we say yay or nay." Stephen grunted as he leaned back in his chair. "at least this way we can keep an eye on her and help her if she has a problem."
"But these are the Avengers. I don't know whether you've noticed it or not but they don't exactly have a track record for being the safest people on the planet. If anything they're some of the first people to run headlong into the action."
"Maybe, but if they follow the conditions I set I might just be able to keep her from too much damage. And if they don't follow my rules then she won't work with them. It's a compromise she can live with."
"I don't know…I still don't like the idea…" Wong folded his arms. "She's just…so young…"
"Olivia may be young Wong…but she's been through more horrible things than most adults twice her age" Stephen murmured "If she can deal with Fabian Russo then she can deal with the Avengers. Plus, I don't think they'd let her come to harm. Most of them may be buffoons but they don't strike me as the type who would willingly put a child into danger"
"No I suppose not." Wong agreed begrudgingly as he stifled a yawn.
"Alright. I'm headed off to bed. I suggest you also get your sleep"
"I will" Stephen waved him off "But first I'm going to sort out these new lesson plans. If Olivia is to be proper member of society, I'm going to have to give her the best education and that means I'll have to teach her enough to get her into a good school. No ward of mine is going to go to some half-baked public school with a low Academic standing." He scoffed haughtily.
For a man who claims to hate children…you really are enjoying being a parent
Wong rolled his eyes one more time as he quietly left the doctor alone in his study.
Oh Ancient One…whatever am I going to do with these two.
Via stared up at the ceiling of her four-poster bed.
Her room was dark, she'd long since turned off all the lights. But for some reason she could not sleep.
Her mind was all abuzz with what had happened that night.
"I should've told him" She muttered to herself in the dark. "I should've told him about that guy."
That horrible guy with the pale blonde hair and that pointed face.
She wasn't sure why she didn't tell Stephen about him. Heck she didn't even tell Fury about him and he was the only one in that building who might have known something about him.
"Elias…who's Elias?" she mumbled.
Of course no one answered. And yet the name felt…familiar…like a half-forgotten friend from long ago. Was he her birth father? Or was he just another enemy that wanted to kill her?
Her mother seemed to have so many enemies at every twist and turn. First Russo, then the strange pale man…and then Elias?
Maybe Wong was right
She thought grimly.
Maybe it is too dangerous for me to look for my mother's secrets
But look what had happened when she didn't look for the truth, she thought bitterly, her heart clenching as she turned onto her side.
The last time she'd been complacent about finding out about her parentage, the son of her mother's enemy had nearly managed to seduce her, and turn her against everyone. All because she didn't know what dangers lay in wait.
And because of that ignorance she'd killed a man and lost two people most precious to her.
Mordo…what on earth happened to you?
She wondered, her eyes burning with tears as she remembered the disgusted look in her old master's eyes.
She just couldn't believe it. The man who had been so passionate about protecting and embracing life. How could he turn so cold?
Now that Via thought about it she hadn't told Stephen about seeing him either. But no…how could she? If she did she'd just cause Stephen more pain. He was just as worried about Mordo as she was, and she knew that if he knew about what had happened he would go after him and try to persuade him to return. And given what Via had seen of Mordo tonight, such a thing wouldn't go down well at all.
He just needs time.
She told herself as she tried to shut her eyes.
We all just need a little time to settle down and then we can all talk and sort this out. He'll come back eventually, I know it.
And with that she shut her eyes, her last thoughts of her old master and his cold dark eyes.
Baron Karl Mordo of Sokovia stepped through the Sling Ring portal he had summoned. It was still day in his homeland and so sunlight was streaming in through an open window high above.
The room he was standing in was an old stone one, one of the oldest rooms of his home castle. It was round and circular, with several racks placed around the walls, all of them bearing some manner of old weapon.
It was with a sharp halberd that his apprentice was practicing with in the center of the room.
He was a handsome boy. Tall, with dark locks, a fine-featured face and warm honey like eyes that would melt anyone who fell under their spell. His body was remarkably well built for a fifteen-year-old, the result of years of training and discipline, openly displayed on his bare sweaty chest.
"I see you're training hard Cassian" Mordo smirked, amused when the young man literally jumped in surprise, almost dropping his weapon.
"Master!" Cassian bleated spinning around to bow respectfully to him "I-I didn't hear you come in!"
"The mark of a good sorcerer is not how powerful his spell is, but at how he uses them to their best advantage. Especially when it comes to maintain the element of surprise" Mordo put a peaceful hand up and his apprentice quickly rose, brow furrowed slightly.
"Is something wrong master? Did the party go badly?"
"On the contrary Cassian, the party was a success. I was able to find a few benefactors willing to help our cause." Mordo grunted as with a short swift spell, his tux was morphed into his green fighting gear.
"But?" Cassian prompted.
Mordo sighed heavily. Eyeing the young man. Should he tell him? Would it be too soon? The last thing he needed was his Apprentice losing focus.
But then again…it could potentially put a spanner in the works later if he did not say anything and he supposed they needed to start talking about this sometime.
"Olivia was there, along with Strange"
"Oh?" though he tried to sound airy and casual, Cassian's lip curled dangerously. "they were? How come?"
"Tony Stark invited them apparently" Mordo watched his apprentice warily, "I spoke with Olivia…She seems to be doing alright"
"Oh does she now?" now Cassian didn't even bother to hide his scorn. "Funny, isn't it. That the murderer of my father is allowed to roam free while I am stuck in this castle"
"I have said before Cassian, you are only as much a prisoner here as you want yourself to be. If you would like you are free to walk outside whenever you want-"
"Only I can't because Percival still has his Relic Hunters patrolling every inch of the town and you're the only one with a sling ring!" Cassian snapped.
Mordo sighed again as he strode forward and put a comforting hand on the youth's shoulder.
"I understand it's frustrating Cassian. You've been put in a difficult position by fate and you don't know what to do. But don't worry, soon we'll be moving on from this castle."
"We will?" Cassian spluttered "When? Where will we go?"
"That all remains to be seen." Mordo steamrolled over him gently "If our new friends decide to take action soon we might be heading out within the week. But don't get your hopes up, Businessmen are notorious for taking their own sweet time over their decisions"
"Where as if we just threatened them they might get things done faster-"
"And risk them defecting out of fear to our enemies? I think not." Mordo snapped, Cassian shutting up like a clam "If we really want to set about cleansing the world Cassian, we need to do it carefully. No one likes to feel they're being forced to do something. Once that happens they almost always rebel. No, if we want our plan to work we need to build up strong alliances, contacts, people who trust us implicitly and without question. People who see us as their hope. It is only then will we have the freedom to exact whatever measures we need to take."
"I understand sir" Cassian nodded to his toes. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking. I was just…thinking…my father he-"
"You miss him." Mordo finished gently, his hand now placing itself on the boy's head. "I understand"
"If you understand…then why do you still care about her" Cassian murmured, his voice broken.
"For the same reason you do-" Mordo began but his apprentice just shook his head.
"NO! No I don't care for her. Not anymore. She killed my father. She could've spared him, but she didn't and then she has the gall to say it was my fault. No. I hate her. I HATE her Master, and when we start cleansing the world of these Sorcerers I'm going to start with HER!"
"Cassian" Mordo barked, but Cassian was shaking his head and depositing his weapon back onto the wall.
"I'm sorry master, but I need to take a shower…clear my head"
"Cassian!"
But the door had already slammed in his face.
Cornelius Craven stared at the scene before him. He'd only just come back from that damned party.
It had been barely two minutes since he stepped out of his black armoured car.
He'd hooked the damned girl in like planned, now he just had to wait for her to reel herself in on his line. Things had been going so well.
And now he had to deal with all this!
There were bodies lying all around him, many of them bleeding as gunshot wounds oozed from various points in their bodies.
Some of them had twisted limbs from where they had been broken or dislocated, giving them the look of very broken ragdolls.
But the worst sight of all, was the open door at the end of the dark derelict corridor.
It was ajar, and in it was nothing but a single chair and some broken pieces of rope.
He quickly grabbed his phone from his pocket and pressed the speed dial.
"Sergei!" he hissed, his british accent somehow rougher in his anger "Brother. Contact Baron Von Strucker. Operation Fishbait is compromised. I repeat compromised. Why? Because the bastard escaped. Calling in a code red alert to all agents in New York. Yes. Yes I know. Yes I'll come in as soon as possible. Yes…goodbye brother. SHIT!" he swore loudly as he shut the phone off and glared at the empty chair.
Elias Summers when I get my hands on you I'm going to KILL YOU!
Elias Summers stared around at the city around him. He could not believe he was actually here in New York City 2014…
Has it really been that long?
He wondered as he hunched over behind a dustbin. He could only hope this hobo disguise would work, after all he'd only just put it together at the last minute.
If I can just sit it out like this for a couple of weeks and create a false trail that leads out of the city, then I might have a chance to find her without causing suspicion.
"Don't worry Freyja I'm on my way. I'll protect her with my life I promise." He muttered, his deep southern accent cutting through the air as he turned his his scruffy salt and pepper beard up to the New York skyline just as the first light of dawn began to rise.
A new day…a new beginning…
And a new world
HELLO GUYS! so yeah this was a very quick chapter upload. In actual fact when i posted up chapter 2 it was going to include more than half of this chapter. then i saw that it went over 10,000 words and i knew i had to cut it into two, otherwise you'd all be left reading for probably a few hours straight. (also 10,500 is about my word limit for a chapter)
So anyways Via meets the other Avengers, tells off a bitchy witch (we'll get to more of that later on) and meets Nick Fury and we finally discover a bit more about her past. And we also get to see more of Cornelius Craven. and who's his brother Sergei? i'll give you a hint, it has something to do with the Spider-man comics (if you've read them then you'll probably already guessed who he really is ;) )
anyways hope you guys enjoyed and keep reviewing with feedback for what else you'd like to see later on.
Cheers and happy reading
FuzzyBeta