CHAPTER 7: SECRETS UNRAVELLING.

"Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets." -Paul Tournier


Darkness, pitch black cells. 'Hello?' A girl walking through cement tunnels.

Blinding stark white rooms. 'Who are you?' Masked doctors and needles.
Cold hard floor, blue lips, frozen fingers. 'Welcome home.' Chains and armed guards.
Black and blue, bruised bodies. 'Why?' Orders bring punishment and rewards.
Dead bodies. 'Mercy is weakness.' Guns and knives are the only allies.
Crying, screaming, begging. 'Help me.' Scared pets make excellent liars.
Searing heat, pain, blood. 'There's no one coming.' Heroes aren't real.
Burning. 'Rose.' The body is the best weapon.
Death. Pain. Guilt. 'The full moon is rising.' Fight to kill.
Tic toc. 'Run while you can.' Time's up.
Bottomless, dark, the eyes of the devil. 'Run!' No one can escape.
Death. Death. Death. 'Promise me!' The knife strikes down-


She woke up with a gasp. Her breath erratic, her heart beat so fast she thought it would pop out. Her hands clenching and unclenching with every deep breath. She stared at the wall until she calmed down, a hand reaching up to furiously swipe away a treacherous tear.

She sighed and stood up. No point in going back to sleep now, she would have to leave in a few hours anyway, no harm in leaving early. She grabbed her stuff and returned the key to her room before getting back in the car and driving off again.

The dream may not have been pleasant, but it was useful. One of the voices in the dream had used just the right word to kick her mind into motion. Ideas rushed through her head, gladly accepted as a distraction from her memories, until one idea stuck.

She had a plan. It was a risky, stupid plan that would probably end up killing her but it was the only plan she had. For the last three days all she had done was drive around, stay low, eat, sleep, and drive again. She did try to think of a different plan, she wasn't suicidal, but in those three days of driving aimlessly to try and get them off her scent, her night terrors gave her the inspiration she needed and it was the only plan she had.

Hopefully, Romanoff had found the chip she planted on her boot when she kicked her last time they fought. She wondered if the assassin would keep the drive to herself or share it with Shield. Either way, it didn't really matter as long as it ended up with an avenger or a high-up Shield agent like Fury or Hill. If she wanted her plan to work, that was crucial. However, from what she had seen up until now she would assume Romanoff would attempt to hack it once or twice and then hand it over to Fury. By now, the data was probably already in Fury's hands or maybe someone under the director, trying to hack the endless walls of the small drive. She almost laughed at the thought of some poor guy slaving over his computer for hours only to find that his efforts were useless.

She had made that chip while staying in London, a little while after the alien's invasion in New York, planning for a situation just like this one, where she had a crazy plan or she needed something from them. She knew that if someone could do this it was the group of misfits called avengers. However, though she was fairly certain she would use the drive at some point in her life, she didn't think to use is so soon after first planting it.

This was certainly not something she expected to be doing with it. Her initial plan had been very different, but if the Rose was truly rising again, she had to try to stop them. Now she only had to wait. A few more days should be enough for the chip to go the hands of someone smarter and closer to Shield, just in case it was on some useless hacker's power. Yes. She would wait until she was sure it was in the right hands. Then, she would send the signal.

Just a few more days…


Pepper Potts paced around the tower. Three days. Three days of loud non-stop music. Three days of making coffee. Three. Three damn days since Fury gave him the drive and he was nowhere near cracking it. The algorithm was too complex. The code seemingly random and nonsensical. That's what she heard him mutter every time she neared him. He hadn't slept a wink for three days, apart from those five minute naps when he would dose of on his desk at the middle of the night, only to wake up with more determination than ever to finish it 'today'.

She was worried for him. He was chugging coffee like mad, not an hour would pass without him having a full cup of coffee in hand. The only food she managed to get to him was a couple blueberries, French fries and a pack of gummy bears. He wouldn't eat anything else.

Pepper swore under her breath as she heard- for the fifth time that day- Tony's incoherent mumbling being interrupted with a rather loud request for coffee.

"Hey!" Tony said unenthusiastically, not looking up from the screen as he heard the door open. After a few seconds passed he asked, "Did Pepper tell you not to bring me coffee? Cause if she did then I am telling you, do in fact bring me coffee."

"Well then, Pepper will just have to make sure Diane does not in fact bring you coffee." The redhead said from the door, an eyebrow raised at the billionaire.

"Who's Diane?"

"Oh you probably don't know her, you know, she's just the assistant who's been bringing you coffee every hour or so."

"Oh. So that's her name. What happened to- uh- Cam and… um, Jane?"

"Sam moved to England with her fiancée, Jade now works in administration though she still works here as she has done for the past three years." Pepper said, rolling her eyes.

"Huh." Was what Tony said as an answer.

"Tony, take a break."

"I'm fine" Pepper sighed and turned to leave. "By the way, can I get a coffee now?"

"No. Eat something." Was all she said before leaving.

Tony rolled his eyes, "Yes, mom." But a small smile stayed on his face as he went back to work. Sadly, it didn't last long, as he quickly went back to his usual routine of muttering under his breath and mumbling about codes and unbreakable walls.

This assignment was getting him very annoyed with its infinite defense lines, but he couldn't help but admit to himself that he was enjoying the challenge. Not many people in the world could outsmart him. Usually, all it took was for him to ask Jarvis to run a decryption, but not this time.
He paused for a moment and cracked his knuckles, preparing himself for another long session of endless typing. He set his fingers on the keys and took a deep breath. Just a few more combinations.


Away from the flurries of agents and heroes, in a cold, dark building made of concrete and steel, grown men quivered in fear and respect of their cruel leader. Two lines of armed men stood in the room forming a human corridor, and in the center walked a woman in red. Her high heels clicked with every step she took, noticing carefully the stance of each man and how they tensed up when they heard the clicking get closer. The corners of her lips turned up. Soon, she would get what she had wished for all these years. It was only a matter of time, the full moon was about to rise again.

But for the time being, she could only wait and try to keep herself entertained. The things she would do… Her hand reached unconsciously towards her back, where two katanas were strapped. She was about to grab one of her swords when a vibration in her pocket made her stop.

Her face remained stone cold as she reached for the source. The woman in red looked at her phone in annoyance. She was going to kill someone if the message wasn't a life-or-death situation. She had enough in her mind with that stupid man that decided it was a good idea to kidnap a teenaged girl. She was so boring, crying out for help, begging. Disgusting.

She read over the message twice, a smirk slowly beginning to appear when it buzzed again. The second message caused her face to become passive once again. She sighed to herself in disappointment, but apparently it was loud enough for one of the new soldiers to hear. He looked a bit nervous as he whispered to the man beside him, "What's going on?"

Immediately there were several sharp intakes of air and silent gasps as the others glanced pitifully at the newbie, who clearly didn't know what she was capable of. She gave him one cold look before the corners of her blood red lips slowly turned upwards in a shark-like grin, her eyes showing nothing more than coldness and hate.

The man gulped noticeably and the ones standing beside him quickly moved to the side and away from the unlucky man.

She slowly walked towards him, her almost red eyes set on him as if he were prey and she was a huntress. Then, with a sickly sweet voice she asked

"Something wrong?"

"N-no milady." He stuttered looking at everywhere but her eyes. The eyes that pierced through your very soul.

Suddenly her gaze softened, "Good." Then it flickered crimson as she quickly unsheathed two long swords and stabbed him in the chest, turning them slowly as he chocked and cried, "Unfortunately for you...I'm not in a good mood." She said before taking back her swords and swiftly slitting his throat as she turned to look at the others, "Any more questions?" She asked with a smile, before it quickly faded away, "How predictable."

She put away her swords and walked away as she called over her shoulder, "Divel! I want Zanik ready for combat by tomorrow night."

The man nodded quickly and scurried away to do what she said before she could think of something else to put her in a bad mood.

Meanwhile, she walked away, swinging her hips from side to side as she carelessly threw the door open with a harsh push from her hands, making the door slam against the wall with a loud thump that made some of the people present flinch.

She walked through the building like a wolf passing through a land of sheep. Everybody got out of the way as soon as they heard the unmistakable click of her heels on the hard floor.

Once she was completely alone she grabbed her phone and read the message quickly. Her eyes lighting up slightly with a crazed glint as a wide menacing grin appeared on her blood red lips.

Everything was going perfectly to the plan. Soon, her soldiers would give her what she had yearned for all this time, but in the meantime, why not have some fun? Maybe the man wasn't so stupid after all...

She sent her answer back without hesitation, the crazy in her eyes growing with the second, the chemicals in her blood magnifying her reaction as her eyes suddenly flashed red.

She looked at the text once again and let out one of the most chilling sounds that a person can make; a laugh fueled by both, joy and bloodthirst. Her laugh resonated throughout the compound as she read the message again and again, burning with anticipation. Soon. Very soon.


In that same building, in a dark room of cold cement floors, a teenage girl was hanging from her wrists by a chain that connected to the ceiling. A sob ripped its way through her chest when she heard the woman in red laugh. Now she was sure that her pleas for help had fallen on deaf ears. No one was coming. Her torturer was telling the truth. The man with bottomless eyes was right. No one would save her.


A/N

Sorry, the chapter is a bit late, my internet hasn't really been working lately so it took a while, but now it is here. Expect next chapter by saturday or sunday.

Please review!

-GMR