He liked Doctor Banner, the man was quiet and serious, and he did not flinch. This was tested by asking if he would ever have to flay a man. The doctor just looked very sad when he said he had been taught how to do it. He also liked how Doctor Banner told him about his alter ego, the Hulk, and how he had worked to make Hulk a blessing and not a curse.

He felt better when Natasha came back though. He knew where he stood with her, because she was not just honest, she was somewhat blunt. She was trailed by a blond man with a stocky build and large arms who looked almost as impassive as Natasha could. He wore a quiver with the same ease which Natasha wore her guns and knives. "This is Clint," Natasha said, "I'm sorry, but we've been ordered to hear your statement by our boss. They want to help you, especially given what you've said, but, they need to know."

He squirmed a little, and then nodded, "Ok. I can tell you about the Heroes."

Clint snorted, "From what little Natasha told me, those weren't heroes."

"They are now," he replied bitterly, watching as Doctor Banner left the room. Once the door shut, he turned to the other two. "There is a very old quote my mother whispered to me and I've never forgotten. 'You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.' It is safe to say that the Heroes have lived too damn fucking long. There are rumors, there have always been rumors, that they were good once, that they protected the planets and kept the peace. Things change, of course they still protect the planets from the marauders and all that, and the crime rates are pretty low. Things are not good, however. Peace has been bought and paid for in blood, in pretty teens becoming sexual playthings for the Heroes."

"How did it start?" Clint asked.

"This isn't official, it might not even be true," he said, "but the way I heard it, the heroes used to work for free, and they never accepted material gratitude. They might work for a government or organization to pay the bills, but not as heroes but as, like, journalists, or business people. They took care of themselves by honest work. Then someone took money, what I heard was that he had debts and he needed the money. The other version said he took the money for his sick kid. No one knows why it happened, but it opened the floodgates. Now, Heroes will not disturb themselves for the little jobs, unless you pay them. They expect pretty people to be in their bed on command, to do whatever they want, and those pretty people never leave the bed the same. They are as quick to kill as they are to save, and they delight in causing pain and suffering, especially when there's a big purse attached. They keep an eye out for kids who will be Heroes and take them young. I was four when they killed my mom. My dad and my siblings, they tried to run after they took me, and they are dead too."

"Nobody fights them?" Natasha asked.

He laughed bitterly, "They're the heroes. If you have Hero powers, you either join them or they kill you. I knew they were coming to kill me because I was not fitting in right, so I bolted. Computers really like me, so it was easy to get out. They have been after me for six months, and I am not so sure someone didn't give me away today." He shifted slightly and pulled the cotton top up so they could see the whip scars. "I haven't fit in with the heroes every. No matter what they tried. I did things for them, I have killed two men who should not have died, and I have hurt people, because I did not want to die, but I never enjoyed it. I never did it without being threatened first. That doesn't excuse what I did, but I never hurt anyone without the shadow of death on me."

"You were four years old," Natasha said, "how did you survive?"

"Computers," he said simply. "I backed up my real memories on every computer I could find, and I checked my memories. They could not shut down my powers, and they could not isolate me from computers. I have a long reach. They tried a few times to change my memories, but I always caught them the next time I got online. They killed my family to make me one of theirs and I never forgot and I never forgave, and I will never be a hero."

The questions that followed were interesting, he thought. They circled around what he had done and what was done to him, but both of them backed off when he was uncomfortable. He was fairly stunned when someone knocked on the door and he realized he had been talking for nearly three hours.

The door opened to reveal a man who was on the short side of average with short black hair and dressed in a suit that was clearly very expensive, "There's a pretty nurse out here who wants to fall in love with me, but she's got to deliver PJ's dinner first, are you done?"

"Tony," Natasha said with a soft sigh, "Who's PJ?"

"The kid has to be called something," the man, Tony, replied, "Steve didn't like Puddle Jumper, but he thinks PJ should be all right."

Natasha glanced at him for a moment, "I like it," he decided instantly. "I like PJ."

"All right," Natasha said. "I'll get it on your records then, you should eat. And don't mind Tony, he talks more than he does anything to anyone." She turned and stared at Tony, who ducked his head after a moment.

"Can I have my palm back?" PJ asked quietly.

"You're what?" Clint asked.

"My palm, my computer," PJ said, "I don't know where it is, but, it's got everything on it."

Clint looked at Natasha, "It might take me a bit, but I'll get it for you," he said, and met PJ's eyes for a long moment. "Nothing will happen to it."

"Thank you," PJ replied.

"Welcome to Earth, Peej," Clint said, and slapped PJ's leg, "You'll like it here."

A/N: After this, I imagine that PJ gets fostered with a family somewhere quiet, and after a rough year adjusting to what happened to him in the Dark Heroes 'verse, he settles well enough. He becomes a computer programmer and he avoids violence as best he can. At school, with the bullies, well, PJ kept in contact with Natasha because she understands some about he grew up, she remembers the Red Room well. It's hard to bully the kid who is best friends with the Black Widow.

The Dark Heroes 'verse will have more stories forthcoming that are *not* fanfiction, but that's another story. As with all my original work, it will be available through either smashwords or Amazon under Jo Grix.