HIDEOUS
Bruce Banner x Ace (OC)
The Avengers copyright Marvel Studios
Hideous copyright Sokuryokudo Kyoutendouchi
Chapter 3
"Back to the Wall"
It was silent in the meeting room as all six Avengers returned once again.
Not even Tony said anything as Fury watched them. They had all heard the news just hours ago, and none of them could fully comprehend it. That woman, who had no connection with the Aviators, and they killed her to get their attention.
Tony felt sick.
"As you can see, they're trying to get our attention." Fury said, flipping to the screen with Ace. She was still tied to the wall, but she looked a lot more tired than yesterday, her body was covered in sweat too. They had turned the heat up in the room, perhaps making her delirious would help her spit out some information.
"We have no choice," Steve said, wanting to bite his own tongue. "If we don't let her out we have no way to find these people."
"Hang on star spangled banner, if we let her out that could be what they want, or did that pass right over your head too?" Stark quipped. Clint shook his head though.
"I agree with Rogers, if we don't have her, we have nothing anyways." He said, looking at the others.
"Perhaps we could still detain her and get her co-operation?" Thor asked, stepping towards the screen to watch her. "Such a tiny girl, can she not be caught if she tries to escape?"
Bruce shrugged, not going with either group, even though it was mostly one sided and then Tony. He wasn't sure who to go with- his gut instinct, his best friend, or his brain. It was all a jumbled mess right now.
"We do have a means to contain her," Fury said, looking to the demi-god. "But getting her to co-operate is a whole different ball game."
Tony quirked his lips, but then he stepped up to the screen and made a motion towards it. Fury waited for a moment, but then turned to the screen and spoke to the woman once turning on the microphone.
"Ace, have you decided to co-operate?" Fury asked, to which the woman tried to look at the camera, but her head fell back against the wall.
"Hmm, do you have a hook as a hand yet? Peg leg? No? There's your answer." She said, but even her voice sounded a bit weak now.
"Hot in there, isn't it." Fury stated, but Ace gave a wry smirk before shaking her head.
"What? Noooo... Actually could you turn it up a bit more? I might be able to melt then..." She slurred, she was so tired, and stupid Fury was... well, making her furious.
Fury went to reply, but then Tony spoke up.
"How badly would you like to get out of there?" He asked, both Fury and Thor looking at him in confusion. Ace chuckled.
"I'd lick a nightclub dance floor."
"That's healthy habit, no wonder you look so sickly. Shame on you." He scolded smoothly, watching for any different movement. "But just because I feel sorry for you, I'm going to get you out."
Ace chuckled slowly, falling asleep from the intense heat.
"Okay, I'll bite. How are you going to do that?" She asked, looking from the ground to the screen again.
"Simple, you bargain your partners' freedom, and we let you go. And you'll never hear from us again." He said as though it were obvious. Fury gave him a look, but Tony made a motion for him to keep quiet.
"Never, ever, so long as I shall live?" She asked, but the ring in her voice was something they weren't expecting.
It was hope.
"Yes." Fury said, making the girl look at the camera. Her eyes were stony, she was covering her true face with a mask, no trusting them in the slightest. Still, hope in a time like this? Anything like it was more than she could ever ask for, ever want.
"Alright." She said flatly.
"That's it?" Steve asked, sounding surprised. Ace chuckled as she stretched against her restraints. Her muscles ached from lack of use, she was dying to get up and walk around.
"I'm the best spy in the world, remember? Of course I can be a double agent too." She said, so Fury turned to Agent Hill and motioned for her to let the woman out. He turned off the screen and the microphone before looking at the group.
"I hope you know what you're dealing with."
Click!
"You will wear this until your task is complete." Fury said as Ace scratched at the collar around her throat. It was a thin, cold metal, but at least she could breathe it was so loose. It had a pendant that had a small glass piece attached. Fury held up a remote to wave in her face.
"If you try to run, if you even think about escaping," He said, flipping the cover off of the remote. The white pendant began beeping then, making Ace glance down at it. She refused to say it made her sweat a little. "So long as you complete your task I will never have to use this."
"Great, I'm a dog to the goody goods, once again." She muttered, though she was at least thankful they let her shower and change into one of their uniforms. It wasn't overly comfy, but it'd do for now.
"Now to get started." Steve began to get her attention. "What can you tell us about the Birdman?"
Ace looked around the room, at all the wondering eyes, she knew, now was not the time to screw up. She glanced at Fury, motioning to the TV.
"Show me to footage." She said, so Fury looked to Agent Hill, who started the camera. As she prepared it, Ace spoke.
"The Birdman himself is, and always has been, the leader. He makes every strategy, flips all the coins, you get it. He says it, we did it. Very simple." She said, looking at all the eyes still on her. Turning around, she watched some of the footage, of the Hulk taking on Adrenna, of Tony's adventures, and finally the coverage of Molly's death. What they expected was some sort of musing about what had just happened, some sort of dry humor from her, but instead, she said something else.
"Replay it." She said, her face a stony slate with nothing to see. Then she pointed suddenly. "Stop! There."
It was the image where Tony had taken on Hostile, right before he lunged. She walked up to the screen and frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. Something was wrong, it wasn't there like it usually was.
"What is it?" Natasha asked.
"What's the victim's name?" Ace asked, flitting some long curls out of her face to get a better look.
"Molly Solue." Agent Hill said. Ace frowned, motioning to continue rolling the tape then as well. She watched with intense stares as some Avengers looked away at Molly's death.
"We're watching you." Ace muttered, then she snorted. "That bitch."
"Who?" Thor asked, confused by her speech. Ace turned to the rest of the room and leaned against the table.
"The Birdman isn't calling the shots on this one." Ace said, looking at the confused expressions of everyone.
"Then who is?" Tony asked, sounding slightly unconvinced. Ace sneered at his tone, but ultimately kept explaining her theory.
"Her name is Adrenna, she's the girl who took on Mister Tall Green and Gruesome." She said, gesturing to the TV. Bruce glanced down for a moment, Ace's eyes only flickered to him for a second. "She set this whole thing up, kill two birds with one stone type of thing."
"What do you mean?" Steve asked, making Ace roll her eyes.
"The Birdman wants revenge on S.H.I.E.L.D. for what they did, and Adrenna must've wanted to test her strength against the epitome of strength himself." Ace said, making Clint raise a brow.
"The Aviators defected of their own accord." He said, making Ace pause before rolling her eyes.
"Whatever, look the fact is that they want you all dead, one way or another. And they don't care how they do it, they'll fight until they're dead." She said, very certain of her words.
"What about this Adrenna? What sort of powers does she possess?" Thor asked, Ace glanced at him.
"We all have our code names based on our abilities or roles in the group. Adrenna was a nickname short for adrenaline." She said, looking at her bare hand. "When she was infected, Adrenna received super healing abilities, so often times she would attack and injure herself without thought because she healed so fast. However, each time she healed, her body learned to cope with it. So she became physically stronger each time she fought." Ace explained, looking around the room.
"So this fight with the Hulk," Bruce paused. "It was to test her abilities?"
Ace nodded.
"There's no other reason for her to go against him. She would've gone after Iron Man if she wasn't interested in testing her power." She confirmed.
"So she can actually get stronger?" Steve asked, unbelieving. Ace nodded, looking down.
"When I first met Adrenna, she was about half my size and strength, and now..." She glanced at the TV, shuddering at the still of Adrenna and the hulk clashing. "Jesus Christ." She muttered under her breath.
"What about the others?" Fury asked. "There are seven Aviators, including yourself, where can we find them?"
Ace rubbed her chin as she stared at the table in front of her. There was always purpose behind the Birdman's movements, a memoir he was playing in his head, but with Adrenna it was different, her movements were sloppy, uncalculated. Ace wasn't actually sure where to find her, yet at the same time she knew, the stunt played for Molly, it was planned out specifically, but how?
"Calculating their location isn't what we should be focusing on." She began, looking over to Tony as she spoke. "He isn't called the Birdman for nothing. We move around, kick up some dirt, I've never been under the same roof for two nights straight."
"So what do you suggest we do?" Natasha asked, a little exasperated with these people.
"We wait until they reappear. Then we strike, if we can take Adrenna hostage you bet the Birdman will show his head too." Ace said casually.
"We took you hostage, he hasn't appeared." Clint argued, making Ace hold up a finger as though she had a point of argument.
"Ah, but that's because I defected from them, they want me dead more so than alive right now." She said confidently. Bruce watched her, curious about her mannerisms, she threw her hands a lot when she spoke, but it was like she was making sure everyone was kept at a safe distance from her too.
"So how do you propose we capture them?" Fury asked in a sarcastic tone. Ace smirked at him, the clean slate gone as she showed her true emotions.
"Project 8."
"What?" Steve asked, sounding confused. "What's project 8?"
"After the seven Aviators, project 8 was created to capture them but..." Fury trailed off, giving Ace a look.
"Buuuut I swooped in and stole it." She said feigning guilt. "Birdman completed it, but when I left, I took it with me."
"You have it on you?" Tony asked, somehow not believing she could've hidden it so well. She smirked in response, peeling up her shirt to show her hip. A small protrusion could be seen, in then shape of a rectangle.
"You put it inside of you?" Steve asked, slightly repulsed. Clint and Natasha nodded, feeling impressed.
"Good move, underneath enough skin scans won't show something that small." Natasha said.
"So how do you plan to get it out?" Clint asked, raising a brow. Ace rolled her eyes.
"Oh please, I was turned into a circuit generator for days, I think I can handle poking around myself." She muttered. Turning to Fury, he once again motioned to Agent Hill. The woman stepped forward with a blank face.
"Follow me to the dissection laboratory." She said. Ace nodded and followed without a word. Before he dismissed everyone, Fury looked around the room of mixed expressions.
He hoped this went well.
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