A hallway. Jade was in a cold, metal hallway. She looked to her right then to her left, but didn't see anyone. Still, it felt oddly familiar.
"Hello," She timidly called out. "Is anyone there?" Her answer was a high pitched scream. Fear exploded inside her.
"Hello!" She turned and ran toward the sound. Somehow her feet already knew where to go. She rounded several corners and raced down a narrow hallway. The screaming continued, but the more she ran the louder it became. "I'm coming!" She yelled.
She turned one last corner to find a set of double doors. She didn't hesitate, she ran and burst through them. But what she saw wasn't what she expected. The person screaming was her.
The young girl Jade recognized as herself was tied to a chair. She had several tubes sticking out of her, all filled with a light blue liquid. The tubes seemed to be injecting her with it.
"Again,'' Someone said. A doctor most likely. An assistant nodded then pulled a lever. The screaming came so loud that this time, Jade had to cover her ears. She closed her eyes, but when she opened them she was in the chair. Tears streamed down her face. The order from the doctor came again. Electricity surged into her. Jade screamed. She begged for them to stop, but they ignored her. Lightening like pain shot through her body. Another scream escaped her. She tried to kneel over, but the straps kept her upright. Another order came.
"No," Jade whispered. The man was beside her now. He leaned down next to her ear.
"You'll be a powerful weapon when we're done with you. You'll help us in more ways than you ever could imagine. You will help us bring peace, you'll help us beat the Avengers." Jade squeezed her eyes shut at his voice.
"Please," She begged again. The man chuckled.
"Again," He ordered. Jade felt the pain and gave another glass shattering scream.
-o-X-o-
Bang!
Jade felt pain erupt on the side of her head. Her eyes flew open and she shot up. Bam! Now the front of her head hurt. She collapsed back down. Her eyes started to focus and she realized where she was. She was lying under the bench she had been sitting on.
"Jade, are you alright?" Natasha's alarmed voice drew her attention. Jade turned her head to look at her. Steve. Natasha, Bruce, and Thor were all looking at her as if she had grown two heads.
"What?" She managed to get out. She pulled herself out from under the bench and sat up. She brought a hand up and rubbed her forehead where she had smacked it on the bench.
"You were having a nightmare. Natasha was trying to wake you up, but you went right through her and the bench and ended up on the floor," Steve answered. It took Jade a second to make sense of what he was saying to her. Natasha gently grabbed onto her arm and helped Jade to her feet.
"That was amazing." Jade heard Bruce mutter. He took off his headphones and stood. "Did you see that? She seemed to vibrate right through Natasha and the bench! That was simply amazing!" He exclaimed. Natasha looked over her shoulder at him.
"Do you have to nerd out right now?" She asked him. His amazed expression softened a bit, but you could still see the excitement in his eyes.
Jade sat back down on the bench and put her head in her hands. Her cheeks felt damp from tears she didn't remember crying. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Tony come down to them.
"We're almost there. I've had Dr. Cho prep the lab for Barton." He looked at the group. "Did I miss something?" He asked when nobody responded. Steve answered him.
"Jade had a nightmare and went through Natasha and the bench." A bewildered look crossed Tony's face.
"You did your party trick without me?" Tony teased Jade. He pretended to be utterly offended. Jade lifted her head to look at him.
"Sorry, you'll have to wait until my next mental breakdown to see it," Jade joked, but by the look on everybody's faces they didn't find it very funny. Bruce even looked down at the floor. "That was a joke," Jade said trying to lighten the mood. They didn't respond. Natasha sat beside Jade and put a hand on her back.
"What were you dreaming about?" She quietly asked. Jade looked down at the floor. Tony turned away, walked back up to the pilots chair, and sat down.
"Nothing." She didn't want to talk about it. She was having a hard enough time understanding it herself. Natasha gave her a 'I don't believe you for a second and don't think you're going to get out of telling me' look, but didn't press the subject.
After a few minutes the Quinjet landed and the hatch opened. A tall woman with dark hair rushed in and took Barton off the ship.
"I'll catch up with you later," Natasha said to Jade before leaving with the doctor. Thor and Banner left to go do whatever it is that they do after a battle. Jade stood up as a lady holding a tablet walked up the ramp.
"Lab's all set up, boss," She said walking past Jade. She hadn't seemed to notice that Jade was there yet. Tony spun around in his pilots chair to face her.
"Oh, actually he's the boss," Tony said pointing to Steve. "I just pay for everything, and design everything, and make everyone look cooler." Tony stands.
"What's the word on Strucker?" Steve asked ignoring Tony. He stood and walked over to the lady.
"NATO's got em'." She quickly replied.
"The two enhanced?" The lady gives him a strange look.
"Two? I thought there were three?"
"Hi," Jade said. The lady turned to look at her. She nodded, and turned back to look at Steve.
"Long story, I'll tell you later," He said. "What about the other two?" The lady handed him the tablet.
"Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Twins, orphaned at ten when a shell collapsed their apartment building." She continued to talk as they walk off the ship. Leaving Jade and Tony standing there.
''Who was that?" Jade asked not taking her eyes off of the retreating back of the woman. Tony looked up from what he was working on to follow Jade's line of sight.
"Maria Hill. Former agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. She came to work for Stark Industries after their self destruction." Jade looked over at him. He finished what he was doing and walked past her. He stopped walking when he noticed she wasn't following. "You coming?" He asked. Jade scooped up her backpack and walked over to him. They walked down the ramp in step with each other. "I had J.A.R.V.I.S. prepare a room for you. Filled it some of the 'girly' things that a normal teenage girl your age usually likes."
"I'm not very normal," Jade said looking up at him. Tony bobbed his head back and forth in acknowledgment, and mafe and 'eh' sound. They walked into a kitchen and Tony opened a drawer. He pulled out a small, light blue item.
"For you." He handed the watch to Jade. "It's connected to J.A.R.V.I.S., so if you have any questions on how to get around just ask him. It has a map of the tower on it too, your bedroom will be on the 11th floor. Do whatever you want until diner. Just don't cause to much trouble," Tony said then he brushed past Jade and started to walk away.
"Wait!'' Jade called. "That's it? After everything that's happened you trust me?"
"J.A.R.V.I.S. will alert me if anything happens, or if you try to leave. So don't get any ideas. You'll get a message via watch when diner is ready." That's all he said before he got onto an elevator and disappeared. Jade thought he seemed a little preoccupied with something else, but who is she to make a judgment?
Jade strapped the watch on then looked around the room. It was nice, very open with lots of space. She rocked back and forth on her heals, not sure what she should make of the situation. She was also at a loss of what she should do. She wouldn't mind sleeping if it meant she could actually get some rest.
"Would you like to go to your room now, Miss Jade?" A voice said out of nowhere. Jade gave a small shriek and spun around. She failed to see anybody though. "I'm sorry if I frightened you. I am J.A.R.V.I.S Mr. Stark's' program. I was wondering if you'd like me to help you to your room?" Jade nodded her head. This was beyond weird.
"Yes, thank you," Jade said. She waited for J.A.R.V.I.S. to say something.
''You'll have to enter the elevator." Jade jerked into motion.
"Oh, right," She laughed at herself slightly embarrassed. She entered the small space and watched the doors close. She listened to the soft ding the elevator made as it passed floors.
All in all it was a awkward ride. Jade let out a sigh of relief when the doors opened to her floor. She stepped out into the empty hallway. "Um, J.A.R.V.I.S.?" She said.
"Walk forward, take the first right, your room will have your name on it," He replied. Jade was relived to have him helping her.
"Thanks." She followed his instructions and found her room. On the door was a small slip of paper with her name scribbled on it. She smiled at the messy handwriting, and left the note on the door. She might need it later to find her room. She slowly opened the door.
The walls were white with scenic pictures on the wall. The pictures were of parks and flowers. A bed was against the far wall and the bedding was light blue and black with white pillows on top. Over on the other wall was a window seat with bookshelves underneath. There were six or seven books on the shelves. A desk was next to the bed, and on top was a small lamp.
Jade dropped her backpack on the desk, walked over to the closet, and opened it. She found several new shirts and pants. She also found what looked like pajamas. One pair that caught her eye was white with grey cats on them. Jade had never worn anything of the sort. Kitty pajamas was not something Hydra gave out to it's experiments.
Jade was in complete awe. She had never had her own room. Sure she always had a cell to herself, but never with anything in it besides a small bed.
"Do you like it?" The voice asked. Jade nodded as a large smile spread across her face.
"It's perfect," She breathed.
'I'm pleased you like it. May I suggest you get some rest? It is only a few hours till diner and I suspect you are quite tired." Jade bight her lip. She hadn't slept well on the Quinjet and didn't want a repeat of what had happened, but she was extremely tired. "You're worried about having another nightmare." Jade nodded. She didn't question on how he knew that she had already had one on the Quinjet.
"Yes," She admitted.
''Could wake you if you begin to have one," J.A.R.V.I.S. offered.
"You can do that?" Jade asked looking at the ceiling.
"Yes, your pulse is recorded on your watch. If I find that it's quickening I will wake you with an alarm sound, or I can alert Mr. Stark." Jade considered the offer. It could work. She would like to rest before she had to be social tonight.
"Sure, let's do it, but could you try the alarm thing before you tell Stark? I don't want to bother him," She said. The window darkened and the lights dimmed.
"Yes, I can. Have a nice nap Miss Jade." Jade nodded, went over to the bed and crawled under the covers. She was sound asleep in minutes.